Cat, Jade and their Sapphire Kitten
by SummerMelodies
Summary: This is a Cade story which revolves around Cat having an unexpected pregnancy (not by Jade... obviously). While still being at HA, she is desperate to hide it from everyone, and with Jade by her side, helping her through it, the two girls get very close. Just a wholesome story about teen troubles.
1. Chapter 1

**I've decided to write another story! _Nah really? You're on Fanfic. net to write? WOW!_**

**Hehe, kidding. I've decided to try a new approach with the opening of this story. It's a little long-winded but please stick with me :)**

**Also, in this story pretend that Cat's parents left to go to Idaho before Tori joined HA, so a lot earlier than in the show.**

* * *

Catarina "Cat" Maria Valentine, the most bubbly, bright innocent and naive person you would ever meet, a girl very child-like in nature. However, one of these adjectives isn't 100 percent correct. Did you guess which one? Well, I'll tell you the answer anyway: it's 'innocent'. _But wait- _you may be asking- _innocent means the same as naive, surely if she's not innocent then she also isn't naive. _But that, sorry to down put you, is wrong. Being innocent and being naive may be synonymous, but they are different and have attributes that are distinct from each other. Innocence is the trait of being unaware of anything in the world while naiveté is being unable to properly function in society.

"Innocent" is defined as "a trait or characteristic of a person who is sinless and uncorrupted by negativity, malice, or wrongdoing and as such, is not tainted with any unpleasant emotion." A good example would be a child who, as compared to adults, is inexperienced and has no knowledge corrupt things. An innocent person is harmless, has a good nature, and is more candid and straightforward as compared to their peers.

"Naive" is defined as "a trait or characteristic of a person who is simple and one who is lacking in wit and guile." They do not have any treacherous or cunning thoughts and does not know of any tricks to deceive anyone. Being naive is having the characteristic that is free from complexity, and pretentiousness. A naive person is not aware or concerned about the reactions of others toward their actions or personality.

Still confused? Yeah me too to be honest. Okay, here's another example. Innocence does seemingly have a double meaning, especially in colloquial terms. When you think of a teenage girl being 'innocent', what really pops to mind? If your mind went to something along the lines of _'she's a virgin' _then you understand what I'm getting at. If not, then you, my friend, are the definition of innocent and may, in fact, be too young to be reading this.

Now that I've just provided you with more of an English lesson then you're probably taught in a classroom at school, you as a reader are probably get very annoyed with my ramblings and are very much wanting me to get to the point here. Basically, Cat Valentine is (in terms of the colloquial phrase) one of the least innocent people at Hollywood Arts. _*Gaps*_ I know. You'd never guess it right, but among the many, many boyfriends this young girl had had, and the hundreds of parties she'd been invited too, Cat had sort of gained herself a reputation for being slightly 'promiscuous' for lack of a better word. The girl's naive personality lead to easy manipulations from older boys who knew exactly how to play their cards in their favour. A once innocent Freshman, with a happy-go-lucky personality and newly dyed red hair, was suddenly in a school with some of Hollywood's best young actors, and therefore best at concealing their true intentions, and who knew exactly what to get from her. And Cat, just wanting to fit in, followed along. Adding onto this that her parents were rarely home to look after her, young Cat was never truly taught the 'rights' and 'wrongs' of society, and she, therefore, ended up on the conclusion that anything fun couldn't be bad for her, and thus she continued her partying ways.

As time passed and she progressed further into Hollywood Arts, the initial round of exploitive Junior and Senior boys seemed to disappear off to College and Cat finally found a real friendship group from kids in her improv class (Beck, Jade, Andre and Robbie). At school she was hyper, happy child-like, the same adjectives I used before, and an overall kind and decent human being. She'd even managed to get rid of a few of the circling rumours about her. The nights out got less and less, from three times a week to about twice a month, a much healthier amount than before. However, she was yet to fully stop as she was partial to the popularity it gained her and the friends she made out partying.

All this is kinda obvious if you think about it. The number of boys she's been seen with are almost too many to count: Daniel (Tori's ex), Dug (who she took to Prome), Evan (who she met while in the blonde wig at Nozu), she tried to get with Beck's friend Moose when he came to visit, she completely ditched her friends to hang with some boys at Venice beach (when they were trapped in Beck's RV), she even started hanging out with Sikowitz's nephew after knowing him for 5 seconds.

Anyway, no one in her main friendship group was overly concerned with Cat's party habit, not wanting to intrude on her fun, just sitting back and always making sure she got home safe at night. However, once in a while, they get really worried about their redheaded friend and what these things did to her. Sometimes, after a particularly hard breakup, she'd go into fits of horrible mood swings, and being a complete pain to be around. Sometimes, after a hard-core party, she'd skip school for a day or two, or even come in with a killer hangover.

The only thing that they really really annoyed then, was when they met one of her new boyfriends. Each one of them was a sleazy, sly bastard, but of course, Cat always saw the best in people and would never see their true personality, even after they'd dumped her for another girl.

One day, however, this all stopped. No boys. No parties. No talking to her out-of-school friend. It just stopped. Cat refused to tell her HA friends why but they still wanted to find out. Of course, they were secretly over-joyed that Cat had gotten herself out of that situation of peer-pressure, drinking and manipulation, but they desperately wanted to know why. It is human nature, of course, to want to know an answer and Jade, considering herself Cat's closest friend,_ really_ wanted to know why and she was adamant to find out.


	2. Chapter 2

For some slight context to this story, this is set around early November of the teen's Senior year at HA. Jade and Beck are already 18, having early birthdays, while the rest of the group are still 17.

* * *

Jade POV

At the Asphalt Cafe

Argh, I don't know why I hang out with these people. I was very much enjoying eating my salad in peace when my ex-boyfriend, Robbie and Andre decide to _grace_ me with their presence by sitting beside me, talking between them about something or the other- I didn't care what. To make things worse, it was a Monday meaning that I had to suffer 4 and a half more days of school until my short weekend break.

"Hey." Beck said, nodding in my direction, pulling out his own lunch- a burrito.

When did that word become so insignificant? One word used to be a basis for communication, one word could create or break relationships, and now... it's become nothing more than an acknowledgement of existence. "Hey," to the man at the retail-store till, never to be seen again, never again recognised as a person of significance. "Hey," you say, moving past the teacher in the hallways at school. And that's it. Tell me, what else do you say?

No one bothers to say anything of meaning anymore. We're stuck in an endless loop, oblivious to the importance of... People. They're just tools in our pointless existence, a way for us to try and convince ourselves of our own importance. We put on a mask of false friendliness, fake a smile and feign meaningful conversation, and then move on, forgetting that the other person was anyone of value.

Well, wasn't that a depressing stream of thought?

"Hey," I replied, aware of the hypocrisy, and then I moved on, back to stabbing my fork into my salad, my mind wandering once again. After the boy's arrived, so did half the school. The once quite outdoor cafeteria was now a cacophony of loud chatter, each table a cosseted huddle of people raising their voices to be heard above the din. The food was secondary to the information that is exchanged there. Over the over-salted fries, alliances were formed and gossip traded like poker chips. As I sat thinking to myself, I cast my eyes about as in a wandering daydream.

"Heyyyy!" I'm once again interrupted, but this time by someone who actually puts meaning behind the greeting. Suddenly all the numb, melancholy and sarcastic thoughts fled my mind to make room for an actual interaction with the person.

"Hey Cat," I replied, sending a quick smile in her direction, moving my bag out of the way so that she could sit beside me. "How was Costume Design."

"Not bad." She shrugged. "I made some progress on the dress I'm making. I took some pictures. Do you wanna see?" She asked, her eyes wide with excitement, already rummaging around her bright-pink bag for the equally neon phone.

"Sure," I replied, a small smile already creeping across my face at the enthusiasm she showed. Somehow this girl always seems to be able to lift my mood, even after a rough Spanish lesson.

"Looky-" Cat said, holding her Pearphone out in front of her with a straight arm, inches from my face. Cat's underlying talents never ceased to amaze me, even with the dress unfinished and being shown to me through a tiny screen, I could still see how beautiful it was. A greenish-blue gown made of soft, satiny fabric, long and loose. A semicircular, high collar made of silk-like materials headed the ankle-length robe. Bellowing in the non-existent wind... Suddenly the image was interrupted by a white box covering its top half, a message notification from someone named 'Blaise' from a group chat labelled something along the lines of 'Saturday Night Squad'. I squinted my eyes slightly to try and read the first few words before Cat realised and brought the phone back, her expression suddenly blank.

"Who's Blaise?" I asked, genuinely intrigued. "Please don't say he's another boyfriend." I sighed. I know why, but I just can't stand it when Cat starts dating someone new. She never has very good taste and within a few days, she's already invited them to have lunch with us (I don't know how because most of the time they go to other schools). Every time is the same story: she's head-over-heels in love, wrapping herself around him, gazing through her big-brown-eyes with her want for returned affection simmering softly until he tells a joke. Then she will giggle like she's three and a half. And every time, they break up after about a week and a half, when he's got all he wants out of her. Next Cat is in tears and I'm the one having to pick up the pieces, mentally murdering the boy and hoping he knows what a wonderful girl he just lost.

I don't know how anyone could use Cat like that and then just get rid of her. How can't they see how perfect she is? From her doe-like brown eyes that are like sweet chocolate to her fully even olive tan. Woah Jade, turn down the jealousy there girl. Wait. 'Jealousy'?!

"God no." Cat replied to my previous statement, shaking her head as she did so, quickly replying to her message.

"What does he want?" I asked, leaning over to read the messages over her shoulder.

"Nothing." She said blankly as her personality had completely shifted since reading his message.

"That isn't nothing," I said, pointing to the length message she was typing out.

"Fine." She sighed. "He wants to throw a party at mine on Saturday."

"What? Why can't he do it at his own house?" I asked, frowning.

"It's cause my parents aren't home." She said bluntly. "I'm saying no though, I don't want to do parties anymore."

"Don't let them pressure you back into it," I said sincerely, "this is your choice."

"Thanks." Her voice was totally distant at this point, not even listening to what I'd said, just looking at the text conversation she was apart of, tears slightly welling up in her eyes. Once again, I leant over to see the messages. "_Oh come on Cat! You're no fun now!" _One read. "_Ya can't just bail on us. We need ya." _Said another. _"At least give us a reason ffs." _Said the third, how many people were on this chat?

"So you've not told them anything either?" I commented, referring to her silence over the sudden lack of partying. I shouldn't have really said this with Cat suddenly looking so low, but I was just totally shocked.

"YEAH AND WHAT ABOUT IT?!" Cat snapped, suddenly jumping up from her seat, screaming in my face. I swear her eyes went red for a split second whilst she glared at me. Next, she grabbed her bag, practically throwing it over her shoulder, and stormed away, her pure speed allowed her to cover the length of the cafe within seconds.

Words left me. I stared at where she once was sat, where she stormed off burning with anger, and my heart fell silent. "What was that all about?" A female voice spoke up, I snapped my head back to where Beck, Robbie and Andre were sat, their eyes as wide as I presumed mine were. It took a moment to realise that Tori was with them, clearly, she'd sat down whilst Cat and I were talking.

"None of your business Vega." I growled, storming away to follow Cat.

"I was just asking." I heard her mutter as I found my way to my feet, bolting in the direction Cat had gone, slamming my body into the school's doors to push them open as fast as I could.

The halls were crowded with people, my mind spinning as I tried to find Cat among them. My ears seemed to be picking up every possible noise: every conversation going off at once, lockers opening and closing, music playing without headphones. My eyes strained as I scanned around. Model worthy girls learning against their bright lockers, like exotic birds gossiping and giggling, a football flies above their heads between two jocks in varsity jackets parading their toned muscles. I pushed my way past everyone, searching for a burst of red-hair. Nothing. Sighing to myself, I went to the first place I could think of.

Spinning on my heel, I raced to the main staircase, bursting into the girl's toilets beside them. Nothing special about them really: perfumed air, gleaming tiled floor and walls, one wall of spotless mirrors, stainless steel shiny taps over white sinks, hot air hand dryer and perfumed soap dispenser. Seeing that Cat wasn't in there, I turned to leave as fast as I entered, trying to think of where else to look. When, suddenly, a great sob echoed around the room, slamming into my eardrums. I froze. Was that Cat or had I just stumbled in on someone's personal breakdown. Another sob, equally as loud, equally as painful to hear. Slowly, I took another step into the room, being light on my feet as to not alert them. Another sob. "Cat?" I spoke up, the words leaving before I can register them.

"No." I heard the person reply. It was clearly Cat, too high to be anyone else. She's never been a good liar.

"Please Cat, I'm sorry," I spoke up, walking over to the end cubical, the only one occupied within the room. "Please, just let me in." She spoke no words for a moment and I was just about to ask again before the subtle click of an unlocking door interrupted me. Slowly, the door swung open to reveal Cat sat on the cold tiled floor beside the toilet, hiding her face from me, knees brought up to her chest. "Hey, Cat… Are you okay?" I idiotically blurted. She was clearly NOT okay. Cat raised her hand, slowly, and wiped the tears pouring from her eyes away from her cheeks. Her body was wracked with great sobs and she shook like a leaf. I pulled her to my chest where she sobbed unceasingly, hands clutching at my jacket. I held her in silence, rocking her slowly as her tears soaked her chest. A tiny lapse let her pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before she collapsed again, her howls of misery worsening. That is how we stayed until her crying subsided, at least 5 minutes later. When she finally looked at me, her beautiful brown eyes were swollen and sore.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled, her throat sore from the sobs.

"Don't be Kitty." I said, brushing her hair out of her eyes to see her face properly. "You wanna tell me what caused this?" I asked, genuinely concerned about what put her in this state.

"I... I can't." She mumbled, burying her head into my shoulder to stop another wave of tears.

"Does this have to do with why you've stopped partying?" I continued to push on if it was affecting her this badly then she really needed help. "Is it because of a boy- cause I'll kill them. Did they hurt you? Did they-"

"Jade... I'm pregnant."


	3. Chapter 3

Jade POV

_"HUH? WHAT? SHE IS? HOW, well I know how, BUT, WHAT? WHY? WHEN?" _My mind was spinning at 100mph, no thought staying still enough to grasp. "Jadey?" I heard a voice say, this one outside of my head. "Jadey please say something." It was Cat, she was staring straight at me, eyes wide with tears brimming in them.

"Y...you sure?" Was all I could stutter out.

"3 positive tests can't lie." She mumbled, looking away, embarrassed.

Slowly, I reached out, placing my hand under her jaw carefully turning her face towards mine. "Congratulation Cat." I smiled lightly, my thoughts finally gathering in my mind. I was genuinely happy for her.

"'Congratulations'?! Jade this isn't good! I'm scared! I'm alone! I'm another bloody teenage statistic! I don't even know who the father is!" She screamed, and I silently prayed that we were the only ones in this restroom. Her eyes shifted to the side again and became glazed again with a glassy layer of tears. As she blinked, they dripped from her eyelids and slid down her cheeks. She bit her lip tightly in an attempt to hide any sound that wanted to escape from her mouth; my heart sank.

"Cat." I started, looking straight into her sad big-brown-eyes. "You aren't alone. I promise you, I want to help you out here. I'm your best friend, it's my job to stand by your side. Besides, who needs some guy who didn't deserve you? You'd do the same for me, I know you would. I'll be here if you want to keep, and I'll be here if you don't. Understand?" Slowly, I raised my hand and brushed my thumb over her cheek, wiping away a stray tear.

"I...I want... I want to keep it." She mumbled, looking away from me again. "A...and thank you, really, but I don't want... I don't want to drag you down too. This is my fault, not yours. I can't-"

"Remember when we were young when we first met?" I began, reminiscing on the times of our youth, suddenly interrupting her rambles.

"On our first day of Kindergarten?" She asked, looking at me with her big puppy-dog eyes, slight confusion reflected from them.

"Exactly." I nodded in response, "We were sat in the classroom; I was drawing a vampire and you were drawing a fairy. Then you asked me to be your Best Friend." I smiled lightly, remembering 5-year-old Cat in a bright pink pinafore dress, perched on a plastic chair, legs kicking in the air, clearing the floor by several inches as they swung back and forth, looking at me longingly for an answer. "And I said yes. Since then, I've never let go of that title or that memory."

"Then I abandoned you when we came here." She mumbled to herself, referring to how we went our different ways when we first joined Hollywood Arts.

"Regardless,-" I continued, ignoring her point "-when we became friends, we swore an oath of sorts, to be there for one another as long as we live, to always be okay with one another - no judgement, unconditional acceptance. And I am not going to break that oath." I said honestly.

"Are you're sure? I don't want to force you to-"

"Stop." I interrupted again. "I honestly want to help you."

"Thank you." She whispered, resting her head on my shoulder.

* * *

No POV

Slowly, Jade wrapped an arm around Cat's shoulders and pulled her close, gently rubbing her arm. Despite the heaviness in the redhead's stomach, it fluttered at the feeling of her body pressed against Jade's. She sunk into the warmth of Jade's side, appreciative of the simple gesture. Her touch made the room warmer somehow, her future seem a little less bleak.

They sat together for about 5 minutes before Jade spoke again. "How long have you known?" She said quietly.

"2 weeks" Cat replied, in an equally muted volume. "I took the test after I missed my second period, but I think I've known for a while."

"Is that why you stopped with the parties?" Jade asked.

"Uhuh," Cat replied quietly. "When I was late the first time, I started worrying and I didn't want to risk drinking or anything, but I was scared to find out for certain. Believe it or not, I've never had a pregnancy scare before."

"Really?" Jade asked, honestly shocked. "I mean, even I have when I was with Beck..." Her voice drifted into nothing as she spoke, still not over the recent breakup. Even though it was a mutual agreement, clear that the original spark had gone, she couldn't help but miss the bond they shared and the emotional warmth. With her mother dead and her father working in Europe sending money back for her to live at home on her own, Jade was very lonely at that moment in time. This was a big reason why Jade was so ready to help Cat out, maybe it would fill the reclusive hole in her heart.

"I've always been safe," Cat mumbled, looking away she could feel the heat growing in her cheeks.

"Have you thought about going to the doctors?" Jade asked, changing the subject slightly.

"I can't," Cat replied bluntly. "The bill will go straight to my parents and I don't want them to know yet."

"Go America for not having free health-care." Jade joked lightly. "It doesn't matter though, I'll pay for it."

"1) Are you insane? Jade, I'm not letting you do that. 2) I've checked, you can't just pay the bill without it going on my family record because I'm a minor, and with my parents getting constant medical updates for my brother, it won't go unnoticed." Cat replied quickly.

"1) Cat, my dad literally earns more money then I could spent in 10 lifetimes and sends a load of it to me, to say sorry for not being here or something like that. I'm not meaning to brag, but paying for a doctors visit wouldn't even put a dent in it." Jade started, talking in the same listed format as Cat. "2) I'm sure that if I 'tip' the doctor enough, they will forget the visit ever happened."

"Jade, that's so illegal," Cat whispered in shock.

"Just let me do this. Please." Jade said, flashing a sincere smile.

"Fine, but I'm paying you back afterwards." Cat sighed.

"I told you, I want to help as much as I can." Seemingly dismissing Cat's words.

"Thank you," Cat mumbled, truly thankful to have a friend like Jade in her life.

Suddenly, the school bell rang, signalling the end of their lunch break. "Lucky no one came in here that whole time." Jade joked lightly, helping Cat to her feet as they walked towards the mirrors across the back wall of the room.

"You'd have probably kicked them out straight away if they did," Cat added, wiping away the stray mascara that had run slightly down her face after spotting it in the mirror.

"You know me too well," Jade replied.

* * *

Tori POV, outside

After Cat's sudden explosion of anger at lunch, Jade and Cat didn't come back to the table. At least three times I tried to get up and look for them, but every time the boys told me to stay put and let them sort it out. Reluctantly, I listened, but that was only really because I didn't want to get involved with a situation that involved a potentially angry Jade. So I stayed sitting with the boys, silently listening to their conversation and getting a head-start on some maths homework, until the bell rang, signalling that I needed to leave for my acting lesson.

"Ahoy, kids!" Sikowitz greeted the class as he bundled into the lesson, his long brown poncho bellowing behind him, matching coconut in hand.

"Ahoy!" Robbie replied cheerily, embarrassed when no one else spoke up.

"Can anyone guess what we're learning about today?" He asked, reaching the front of the classroom.

"Sailors?" I asked, going on a whim after his marine-based introduction.

"What? No." He said bluntly, sending me a confused look. "Can someone else guess? Jade?" He asked, flourishing his hands when he spoke, waiting for Jade's response. Instinctively, I looked over to her seat to see if she was paying attention or not, this is when I noticed she wasn't even there. "I believe someone is late to my class," Sikowitz observed. "And there is no sign of Cat either."

"They'll be here in a minute." Andre reasoned, not wanting Sikowitz to hand out his usual wacky punishment to those that are late to his class.

"You all know the rules," Sikowitz smirked, galloping towards his desk to prepare for the crazy routine performed every time a student is late to class. Within seconds, the classroom door opened, Cat walking in first with Jade close behind, exchanging small talk between each other. It was good to see that Cat was okay now, though her slightly puffy eyes showed me that she had been crying. "Bazinga!" Sikowitz yelled randomly, grabbing a rubber dodge-ball from his desk and throwing it in the girl's direction.

"Holy-" Jade censored herself as the ball came hurling towards Cat. Within a blink of an eye, Jade did the least Jade-like thing I've ever seen: she jumped in the way of the ball so that it hit her in the stomach rather than Cat. "What the hell Sikowitz?!" She yelled, seemingly unaffected by the impact but just shocked over what happened.

"You were late." He replied bluntly, motioning for them to sit down quickly.

For some reason, Jade was seething. "You could have really hurt her!" She yelled.

"I'm okay Jade, it's fine." I heard Cat whisper to her. "Leave it."

"Fine," Jade growled, her fists still clenched by her sides as the two girls sat in their seats behind me.

"Thank you for blocking it," Cat whispered again.

"No problem, I could see where it was heading," Jade replied, her words so quiet that I could barely make them out. "If that hit your stomach I think I would have screamed."

"You're so overprotective," Cat replied, her tone reflecting one of fondness.

I couldn't help but be intrigued by their conversation. Jade normally laughed at other people's pain

However, Sikowitz had just started to ramble about today's lesson and I had no time to dwell on it before I was called to the front to go on stage.


	4. Chapter 4

A few days later

No POV

The teens seemed to be involved with every school production in one way or another, even if they weren't performing. This day, for example, Sikowitz had asked to gang to use their free-period to overlook the Freshmen rehearing through one of their plays. Everything was going well, for the most part, they just had to just sit in the audience of the Black Box Theatre and give any pointers to the actors on stage.

As the 4th scene began, the teens were lounging across the back row of the audience chairs, finishing off the odd bit of homework and chatting between themselves whilst the Freshman acted in front of them. "Hey!" Jade yelled suddenly, looking up to the stage. "Why the hell do you have prop-swords?" She continued, practically glaring daggers at the Freshman boys who were stood in the middle of the stage, play fighting with said swords.

"It's part of the script!" One yelled back, not stopping.

"It's a romance play!" Beck interrupted, looking in the script anyway.

"You're no fun." The other boy pouted.

"Unless you want that sword stuck up your ass then put it back and let the others act!" Jade finished, smirking as the two boys exchanged a panicked look as ran off the stage. "Why didn't you stop them, Vega?"

"Why me?" Tori spoke up, looking confused.

"'Cause you're meant to be the responsible one." Jade shot back.

"Was that a compliment?" Tori raised an eyebrow jokingly.

"No," Jade grumbled, taking a sip of her coffee while the Freshman re-started the scene correctly. "Were we ever that bad at acting?" She commented.

"Never." Beck shook his head, trying to hide his amusement over the younger students stumbling over their words.

"Or that small?" Andre spoke up.

"Cat's still that small," Robbie commented jokingly, the other's laughing.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Cat yelled suddenly, her pregnancy hormones starting to make their appearance within her brain.

"Woah!" Robbie said back, eyes slightly wide. "You haven't said that in a while."

"Sorry," Cat mumbled, realising how dramatic that outburst was.

"Anyway-" Tori started, quickly changing the subject. "-I was thinking of going to Karaoke Dokie tonight. Anyone up for it?"

"Can't. I'm at the doctor's at 4 o'clock," Jade spoke up. "Plus I'm banned."

"It's got new owners now, your ban's been lifted remember." Tori reminded. "And also, you're going to the doctors? That's a coincidence, Cat said the exact same thing earlier when I asked her." She raised an eyebrow slightly, looking between Cat and Jade, the former of which who was blushing slightly already.

"Oh right... that's 'cause I'm driving her there." Jade replied quickly, desperately trying to think of a way to cover up the truth: that she'd booked a pregnancy appointment for Cat and she was going with her for moral support.

"Why'd ya need to go to the doctors?" Beck asked, nudging the red-headed girl.

"Its... uh...for..." Cat stuttered, never being good at lying on the spot.

"An allergy appointment," Jade spoke up quickly, seeing Cat panic. "Which is why she can't drive back herself."

"Right!" Cat announced, glad Jade was better at thinking on the spot. "I'm allergic to peanuts."

"I'm allergic to cheese," Robbie spoke up awkwardly.

"You aren't 'allergic' you just fart when you eat it," Rex commented, perched on the boy's arm.

"Ew gross," Cat mumbled under her breath.

"How about we go to Karaoke Dokie at 7 pm then?" Beck suggested. "It'll be long enough after your appointment."

"I...I guess we can do that." Cat said, forcing a smile. She was not looking forward to going to the doctors that evening, and not sure she would be in the mood to hang out with friends afterwards.

"Then it's a plan." Tori beamed.

"Guys?" A voice suddenly interrupted, coming from one of the Freshmen on stage.

"Oh right yeah, we're meant to be helping them out." Andre reminded himself, and the others, before calling back to ask what they need.

* * *

After school

Cat POV

There Jade and I were, sat in the middle of the hospital waiting room, specifically the maternity ward. A room filled with happy middle-class couples, looking at each other lovingly, looking forward to life with their baby. No one else in there looked as nervous as me, or as young. But why would they? The hospital we were was in a very pricey area, not the kind of place a pregnant teenager could afford. So how comes I could? Because of Jade. Her father was a very rich businessman, his salary large enough to buy Jade her own house for a 16th Birthday present before he left to expand his company to Europe and live there. Of course, I knew they were rich, but I didn't expect her 'family doctor' to be this fancy. Most hospitals are just large building with plain white, stuffy, rooms, everything with a noticeable undertone of bleach. This place, however, was like walking into an expensive New York coffee shop. There were vases of flowers everywhere and beautiful framed pieces of art on the walls, with soft music playing through the overhead speakers. The air had a perfumed scent and the seats were plush. Every surface was dustless. Across from me was a tiny black wooden coffee table holding health magazines. Underneath it was a patterned blue carpet that covered the whole room. A plasma screen television hung in one corner displaying some sort of day-time talk show. I was too anxious to read any of the magazines or watch TV, so I just tapped my foot impatiently, my eyes never leaving the door.

Every time the door opened, my heart practically flew out of my chest, thinking it was the doctor ready to call me in for my appointment. However, it was always just unhurried nurses, moving with a serene purposefulness through the room on their rounds, or more excited couples leaving their own appointment.

Then, my eyes would wander back around the room and I would get a sinking reminder over how much all this was going to cost. Of course Jade was paying the exorbitant private fees, but I needed to pay her back at some point. She may have been rich, but my family wasn't. Of course, we weren't exactly poor, able to afford a house in LA, but with all my brother's hospital bills from Idaho, and the accommodation costs for my parents to live out there with him, we didn't exactly have a lot of spare change. Then my mind would drift further, one hospital appointment cost was the least of my worries, I had a baby on the way. I couldn't afford a baby. I needed to get a job. I-

"How're you feeling?" Jade asked for what was possibly the 100th time, snapping me out of my spiralling thoughts.

"S...scared," I replied honestly, turning my head to look at her.

"You'll be okay." She said, placing her hand over mine and looking into my eyes. "And the baby will be fine. I promise."

"Thank y...you for coming with me," I mumbled, feeling tears brim my eyes again.

"I told you, I'm not going to let you do this alone." She continued, rubbing her thumb over the back of my hand, making my skin tingle and my heart rate increase slightly.

"Catarina Valentine?" I heard my voice get called out. I quickly looked around to see a doctor stood by the door, looking around for me. He had a face like some guy you'd ask for directions in the street, non-threatening I supposed. In a suit, he could be a news anchor, clean cut but with that loveable smile that was only ever removed from his features when he needed to be serious.

"Here," I spoke up, standing up and walking over to him with Jade in tow.

The doctor flashed a brief smile at us, holding the door and leading us down the pristine hallway towards an examination room, his movements were unhurried, choreographed and deliberate.

Within moments of walking into the room, Jade and the doctor exchanged some pleasantries. Apparently, this guy's been her doctor since the day she was born and he was glad to be able to help me in this situation. After asking a few questions, he motioned for me to lay down on the examination table and lift my shirt over my stomach. It took me a few moments to comply and I could feel my cheeks turning red while I lifted my slightly baggy shirt. There was the slight hint towards a baby bump, nothing dramatic, just a slight outward curve similar to what happens after eating a little too much food, but it was a bump nevertheless.

"There's no need to be ashamed dear." The doctor said kindly, walking over to me. "How long do you think you are?"

"2 months," I said, still not looking over to him, my trying to stay eyes occupied with everything else in the plain white room, eventually locking eyes with Jade, who was sat on a chair beside me.

He nodded curtly, and after listening to what I had to say, he started the evaluation. I was glad he spoke without the typical medical jargon so, for the most part, I understood what was going on and periodically he would stop to address me directly, to explain the next procedure and what its purpose was. It was oddly comforting to be treated so much like a child, yet all along I felt in control like all I had to do was whisper "stop" and he would. Of course, I didn't actually want him to stop, after all, I was there to check if my baby was healthy and I was desperate to know.

After a series of questions about any symptoms I had and any family medical history, he pulled an ultrasound besides me and put the really cold gel over my stomach. The small screen beside me came to life as he moved the probe over my stomach. He pointed at the monitor to the small grey movement inside of a sea of black. "There's your baby." He said.

"Wow." I breathed out, almost able to feel the movement inside of me.

"It's too little to see every part-" he said started "-but there's the head and that's the body." He continued, pointing to various parts of the grey smudge which was my unborn child. "And right there-" He pointed to a small point on the body. "-is the heartbeat. Would you like to hear it?"

"Yes please," I said, unable to stop myself from smiling as I watched this little baby move around on the screen. I briefly looked away from the screen and over to Jade, who was practically staring at in awe. Suddenly a loud repeated thumping noise filled the room, seemingly going to fast. "Is it meant to be that fast?" I asked, slightly concerned.

"Yes." The doctor laughed slightly. "That's a perfectly healthy heartbeat. For a perfectly healthy baby."

"Thank God." I let out the breath I didn't know I was holding. I felt Jade's hand snake over and grasps around mine, giving it a comforting squeeze.

"How long ago was your last period?" The doctor spoke up, still looking at the screen.

"Like 3 months ago? So it's been like 2 and a half months since conception." I replied, slightly concerned as to why he was asking again.

"That's a common misconception. The development of pregnancy is counted from the first day of the woman's last normal menstrual period, even though the development of the fetus does not begin until conception, which is about two weeks later. Therefore your baby is 3 months old." He told me.

"I didn't know that..." I mumbled, I really needed to learn more things like this seeing as this is my life now.

"Here." The doctor said, reaching over to a cupboard and pulling a leaflet out of it and handing it to me. "This will tell you everything you need to know. There's a section about dying your hair while pregnant too."

"Thank you." I said to him, flicking to the page and skimming my eyes over the words "_It's advised for women to be careful when dying their hair while pregnant. You shouldn't need to worry, as it is mostly safe, but it is best to be done in a ventilated area and not done in excess." _Oh thank God, I didn't want to have to explain why I suddenly stopped dying my hair, but maybe a duller red with less upkeep would be better. It probably seems stupid, but my hair colour is a massive part of me, it makes me unique and stand out in a crowd and I really didn't want to lose the colour.

"It's all part of the job." He told me, handing me a paper towel to take some of the gel off of my stomach, along with a small photo from the machine screen. "And congratulations, you have a very healthy baby there."


	5. Chapter 5

No POV

After the doctor's appointment was over, the two girls left the hospital in high spirits, deciding to stop at Jade's house for a few hours until they needed to meet the others at Karaoke Dokie. Why were they in 'high spirits' exactly? Well, anyone would be after finding out they or their best friend was carrying a healthy baby.

"I can't stop smiling," Cat whispered from the passenger seat, her hand rested upon her stomach.

"What's changed there?" Jade replied.

"You're smiling too. That's new." Cat giggled.

"I'm happy for you," Jade said, flashing her smile over to the red-head. "Plus I smile sometimes."

"Normally after you've yelled at someone." Cat pointed out.

"I'm not that mean... right?" Jade asked, slightly hurt by Cat's comment.

"You like things your way, there's nothing wrong with that." Cat tried to recover, noting Jade's tone. "I actually like it when people take charge." She added as an afterthought, a very slight seductive growl to her voice.

"Haha." Jade chuckled nervously, her cheeks turning a light reddish hue at Cat's words.

"You're cute when you blush," Cat noted, still giggling to herself.

"Jade West is not 'cute'!" Jade blurted, trying to cover the spreading blush. "I'm fierce, bold and fiery not cute. You're the cute one."

"Why thank you." Cat winked, smiling to herself over how she'd just tricked Jade into giving her a compliment. Suddenly, there was a conversational silence in the car while the two girls focused on driving and changing between radio stations respectively. A light red tint was on both girl's checks, neither girl wanting to admit it. "OMG!" Cat squealed suddenly, finally settling on a radio station and turning up to volume. "I love this song!"

**(Song: 'You Belong With Me', by Taylor Swift)**

As Cat turned up the controls, the song was already partially the way through, but that didn't stop Cat from belting her voice out over the top of the lyrics.

**Cat: **_"Dreaming about the day when you wake up_

_And find that what you're looking for has been here the whole time_

**Both: **_If you can see I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

**Cat: **_Walkin' the streets with you and your worn-out jeans_

_I can't help thinking this is how it ought to be_

_Laughing on a park bench, thinking to myself_

_Hey isn't this easy_

**Jade: **_And you've got a smile that could light up this whole town_

_I haven't seen it in a while since he brought you down_

_You say you're fine_

_I know you better than that_

_Hey, what you doing with a guy like that?..._

* * *

Jade had been joining in with one of her freakily spot-on impressions, making her voice have a more 'country' tone to copy Taylor Swift's, adding over the top expressions as another layer to the joke. Because of this, the two girls giggled to each other while a few more lyrics passed before joining back in with the radio.

* * *

**Both: **_Dreaming about the day when you wake up_

_And find that what_ _you're looking for has been here the whole time_

_If you can see that I'm the one who understands you_

_Been here all along so why can't you see_

_You belong with me_

_Standing by and waiting at your back door_

_All this time how could you not know_

_Baby, you belong with me_

_You belong with me_

* * *

The two girls started to rock out during the instrumental, appropriately stopping at a red light so that Jade could take her hands off of the wheel to throw in some air drums.

* * *

**Cat: **_Oh, I remember you drivin' to my house in the middle of the night_

_I'm the one who makes you laugh_

_When you know you're about to cry_

**Jade: **_And I know your favourite songs_

_And you tell me about your dreams_

_I think I know where you belong_

**Both: **_I think I know it's with me_

**Cat: **_Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you_

**Jade:** _Been here all along so why can't you see_

_You belong with me_

**Both: **_Standing by and waiting at your back door_

_All this time_

_How could you not know_

_Baby, you belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me_

_Have you ever thought just maybe_

_You belong with me_

_You belong with me."_

Both girls were in a state between laughing and violently blushing as Jade pulled the car to a stop at her house, turning off the engine just as the song faded out. The passion behind their voices when they sang was prevalent ... too prevalent, like there was some major underlying cause to their intensity. However, the two girls merely climbed out of Jade's car and walked to the house as if nothing had happened.

Jade was very lucky to have a home of her own, but also in a way very unlucky, as it meant it could become a very lonely place for her. Her house looked like a cut out from an architect magazine. It was beautiful and unapologetically modern, like any other 2 bedroom LA home. Everything was geometric, which could be said about almost any pitched roof abode with square windows, but on this house, you couldn't help but notice it. The roof was flat for a start and the door as wide as it was tall. The windows took up entire walls with only polished steel beams to break them into yet more rectangles. The look would have been entirely metallic like a mini downtown skyscraper had it not been for the cedar beams of the external porch and the matching raised plant beds that contained only white blooms. This was a home that did not look like it was solely occupied by a 17-year-old girl.

After opening the shiny stainless steel door, Jade and Cat walked inside. No matter how many times Cat walked into the house, she was always somehow amazed by it. The home opened with a large open-planned room, slipt between a black and white kitchen with a glossy plastic that iced over the counters, and a fashionable living room, all the walls shades of white and the floor polished concrete. There was no sentimentality for multicoloured fabrics or patterns but on the walls were the most astonishing black and white photographs. There was one photo in specific that always brought a pang to visitor's hearts, yet will still everyone's favourite. It was a picture of a 8-year-old Jade and her mother, embraced in a tight hug, taken mere weeks before her mother had died.

Jade had an underlying resentment for her mother, for leaving her alone here, but deep down she still loved her, knowing that it wasn't her fault that she died, hence the picture. It was an aspect of her life which she often avoided talking about, only her closest of friends knowing. But it was obvious that it shook her to the core, I mean of course it did, and it was a major reason why she was who she was. With her father always working, and her mother killed by a drunk driver, Jade was often left to do things by herself and that made her independent and protective. She likes things done her way and was terrible at sharing friends, being the only people she had left, hence her original dislikening to Tori. But who could really blame her? She had been moulded by a horrible past, and that never turns out well.

Anyway, as the two girls walked into the house, still on a slight emotional high from the news they'd received over Cat's baby, they sat straight on the couch, thinking up a way to kill about 2 hours before they needed to head out to Karaoke Dokie. "What about a movie?" Cat spoke up suddenly. "I'm in the mood for a horror movie."

"Really?" Jade said, eyes wide in shock. "You NEVER want to watch a scary movie! Normally 'The Lion King' or something."

"I know, but you prefer scary movies, so I want you to chose." Cat shrugged, shuffling closer to Jade. "How about the Scissoring Sequal? I've never gotten through the whole thing."

"Normal or director's cut?" Jade asked, trying to hide the giddiness she felt. "I've got both."

"Of course you do." Cat giggled to herself.

* * *

"AAHHHH!" Cat screamed, burying her face into Jade's shoulder an hour later as another victim had just been murdered on screen, her fingers curled into the fabric of Jade's shirt, not clasping it tightly, but just enough to reassure her that they were still together. As the movie had been progressing, Cat had been getting closer and closer to the older girl, clearly scared of the displayed movie, yet still wanting to watch it. At this point, Cat was practical laying on top of Jade, as if being close to her would protect her from the scary images.

"It's just a movie." Jade reminded, wrapping her arm around Cat's torso and hug her close. She told her mind it was to be more comfortable, but if she was being honest, she knew there was a part of her that was secretly enjoying the closeness. It was a strange feeling for her, one she'd never really felt before. Like the world stopped still on its axis in her embrace. There was no time, no movie, no surrounds. Jade's mind was at peace. She'd always felt some sort of compassion for the redheaded friend. She was pure, unselfish, undemanding, adorable. She felt her body press in, soft and warm. Subconsciously, her hand moved and she hugged all the tighter. A moment like this was one to savour and not forget. "Is this better?" Jade asked as the scene changed dramatically to a more relaxed flashback of sorts. She looked down and saw that Cat was half asleep, her eyes opening at my question. She barely nods, her eyes slipping closed.

Jade couldn't help but smile happily as the next few minutes passed, Cat not moving apart from the subtle rise and fall of her chest, seemingly also enjoying the tight embrace and the warm blood that they could feel in each others' embrace. Eventually, Jade could feel Cat going limp in her arms.


	6. Chapter 6

Another hour later, the movie ended and Jade reluctantly awoke her red-headed friend, the two of them still laying in the tight embrace. "Can we just not go?" Cat mumbled, partially comfy and not wanting to leave.

"As much as I really want to ditch that lot, we won't hear the end of it if we do skip." Jade sighed, helping Cat up from the couch.

"Why're you always right?" Cat mumbled. "Now how are we going to pretend that I've just come back from an allergy test? I don't have any skin-pricks on my arm."

"If someone asks, just say that they did it on your leg or something," Jade suggested.

"Kay kay." Cat said, content with the cover-up. "Let's go to Karaoke Dokie!" She giggled happily.

"You're certainly refreshed after your sleep." Jade smiled lightly, slightly making a joke over how she had an evening nap.

"Apparently it's a pregnancy symptom," Cat mumbled. "Along with-oh god." A sudden wave of nausea that hit here so intensely that it sent her whole body stumbling forward, her hand shooting up to her mouth. Without another word, she ran out of the room and down the hallway towards the bathroom. The nausea continued to claw at her throat, and she tried to force down the bile, but it was in vain. She hardly made it to the toilet bowl before emptying her stomach. Jade quickly rushed to her side, holding back Cat's long red hair as her stomach kept on contracting violently and forcing everything up and out. Her face was white and the pungent stench invaded her nostrils and she heaved even though there was nothing left to go.

"Are you okay?" Jade said suddenly, rubbing her friend's back.

"Uhuh." Cat mumbled wiping at her mouth to remove the acidic residue. "That happens every time I wake up."

"For how long?" Jade asked, still slightly panicked.

"About a week, I'm pretty sure it's morning sickness." Cat shrugged, her mind spinning. "Can I have some water."

"Of course," Jade said, briskly walking out of the room before returning with a full glass. "You okay to go out still?"

"Yeah, the dizziness with a pass in a few minutes," Cat reassured, resting her back against the wall as the cold liquid flowed down her throat.

"Hey, you-" Jade started, wagging a finger at Cat's stomach. "-stop making your Mom ill."

"Hehe." Cat giggled half-heartedly to herself, her head tilted back slightly "Morning sickness isn't fun."

"It's like 6:45 pm, I wouldn't call that the morning." Jade joked, it being all her brain could come up with.

"Tell that to the baby." Cat shook her head, pointing to her stomach.

* * *

"Hey!" Tori announced happily, 20 minutes later when Jade and Cat entered Karaoke Dokie, walking over to their table of friends where an assortment of food was spread out.

"Hey." Beck acknowledged the two girls, smiling at Cat and nodding to his ex-girlfriend as they sat on the table.

"You gotta try these Buffalo Wings!" Andre told them, without saying hello, just pushing the food in Cat's direction.

"I'm good, Thank You." Cat smiled, pushing the wings back, the mere smell of them making her queasy again.

"What about sushi? It's always your favourite." Robbie encouraged.

"I've already eaten." Cat lied, despite her stomach grumbling after being recently emptied, reminding herself that she couldn't eat raw fish while pregnant.

"More for me then." The curly boy shrugged, taking a piece for himself.

"No Rex today?" Cat asked him.

"No, he's just left with some Northridge Girl," Robbie mumbled.

"How could he- never mind." Jade attempted to start asking, before cutting herself off, not wanting to know.

"So, now we're all here, who's up for a song?" Tori asked, clearly eager to get on the stage. "Andre?" She asked her boyfriend of 4 months.

"Sure Chika." He said, holding out a hand to help her off her chair before leading her over to the DJ booth.

"They're cute." Cat giggled to herself.

"They're too lovey-dovey," Jade mumbled, trying to keep up the appearance of her dislike for Tori, despite the fact that she was happy for the couple.

"They had to put up with us," Beck spoke up randomly.

"I guess." Jade shrugged, not really wanting to talk about her past relationship.

"Alright then." Beck rolled his eyes, slightly annoyed that his conversion attempt was shut down. "I don't know why you aren't even trying to be civil-"

"Please don't fight." Cat interrupted, sending puppy-eyes in Beck's direction.

"You're right, sorry Lil-Red." Beck apologised, smiling over to the younger girl and placing a hand on her shoulder.

For some reason, Jade didn't like this, her eyes narrowing at Beck. It was like she didn't want Beck near Cat, interacting with Cat, touching Cat. She didn't know what it was making her feel that way, or why, and as soon as she noticed, she quickly shook it off, taking a piece of Robbie's sushi to take her mind off of her thoughts.

Suddenly, a sappy love song filled the air, more specifically **'Just the Way You Are' by Bruno Mars.**

**Andre:**_ "Oh, her eyes, her eyes make the stars look like they're not shinin'_

_Her hair, her hair falls perfectly without her trying_

_She's so beautiful and I tell her every day_

_Yeah, I know, I know when I compliment her she won't believe me_

_And it's so, it's so sad to think that she don't see what I see_

_But every time she asks me "Do I look okay?"_

_I say_

Andre walked around the stage, his voice perfectly hitting each note as he practically serenaded his girlfriend, each lyric truly coming from the heart. To him, she was the only person in the room, only a blind man could miss the burning light in his eyes as he looked at her. He really did loved her with the passion hotter than a thousand suns.

**Both:**_ When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change 'cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile_

_The whole world stops and stares for a while_

_'Cause girl/boy you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_Yeah_

Tori joined in at the chorus, her voice blending perfectly. Some would call the perfect harmonies a sign of true connection, but in reality, it was the hours they'd spent together practising. The smile across her face was predominant as she sang, along with the slight blush in her cheeks. It wasn't just Andre who was head-over-heels, but also the girl he'd fallen for who showed the equally strong compassion back.

**Andre: **_Her lips, her lips, I could kiss them all day if she'd let me_

_Her laugh, her laugh she hates but I think it's so sexy_

_She's so beautiful, and I tell her every day_

**Tori:**_ Oh you know, you know, you know I'd never ask you to change_

_If perfect's what you're searching for then just stay the same_

_So don't even bother asking if you look okay, you know I'll say_

**Both: **_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_'Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile_

_The whole world stops and stares for a while_

_'Cause, girl/boy, you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

**Andre: **_The way you are_

**Tori: **_The way you are_

**Andre: **_Girl, you're amazing_

**Tori: **_Just the way you are_

**Both: **_When I see your face_

_There's not a thing that I would change_

_'Cause you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_And when you smile_

_The whole world stops and stares for a while_

_'Cause, girl/boy, you're amazing_

_Just the way you are_

_Yeah"_

After the final note was sung they stood breathless for a silent moment that was soon filled with applause from every person within the restaurant. Their singing was really beautiful, moving some people to tears. "It was good." Jade thought to herself, looking towards one of the said emotional people "But was it really that good?"

"That was so sweet!" Cat giggled as Tori and Andre rejoined them at the table, hands intertwined. "You two are honestly so perfect for each other."

"Thanks, Lil'Red." Andre smiled at the younger girl. "You gonna sing next? You're normally the first one up."

"Ummm I'm not really feeling it tonight." She mumbled.

"First no sushi and now no singing?" Robbie interrupted. "Who are you and what have you done with Cat Valentine?"

"I'm right here silly." Cat giggled, weakly smiling at the curly-haired boy.

"Come on," Jade spoke up suddenly, grabbing Cat's arm and pulling her towards the DJ.

"What're we doing?" Cat asked dumbly.

"We're singing," Jade replied bluntly.

"Really? You and me?" Cat beamed before realising there had to be a reason behind Jade's actions. "Why?"

"'Cause Robbie's right for once, you aren't acting like yourself," Jade said back, quickly choosing a song before handing Cat a microphone.

"Oh okay," Cat mumbled. "Which song?"

"Oh crap, I forgot to check," Jade said, wide-eyed, realising they were already on stage. In the rush to get Cat to sing, she'd forgotten to actually check what song number she told the man.

"I hope we know it then." Cat gulped as the introduction music started to play and the lyrics appeared on a screen in front of them.

Luckily for the girls, it wasn't some incredibly fast-paced rap, or a deeply sung country song. Instead, it was **'Crush' by David Archuleta. **By no means either of the girl's favourite songs, but they'd both heard it a few times and could get by with the lyrics on the screen in front of them. **Cat: Jade: Both:**

**Cat: **_Ooooh oooh_

**Jade: **_I hung up the phone tonight_

_Something happened for the first time deep inside_

_It was a rush, what a rush_

_'Cause the possibility_

_That you would ever feel the same way about me_

_It's just too much, just too much_

**Cat: **_Why do I keep running from the truth?_

_All I ever think about is you_

_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_

_And I've just got to know_

**Both: **_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we can be, where this thing can go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way you do?_

_'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

**Jade: **_Has it ever crossed your mind_

_When we're hanging, spending time girl, are we just friends?_

_Is there more, is there more?_

**Cat: **_See it's a chance we've gotta take_

_'Cause I believe that we can make this into something that will last_

_Last forever, forever_

**Both: **_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we can be, where this thing can go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way I do?_

_'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

**Jade: **_Why do I keep running from the truth?_

_All I ever think about is you_

**Cat: **_You got me hypnotized, so mesmerized_

_And I've just got to know_

**Both: **_Do you ever think when you're all alone_

_All that we can be, where this thing can go?_

_Am I crazy or falling in love?_

_Is it real or just another crush?_

_Do you catch a breath when I look at you?_

_Are you holding back like the way you do?_

_'Cause I'm trying and trying to walk away_

_But I know this crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_This crush ain't goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

_Goin' away-ay-ay-ay-ayy_

Though it wasn't the song they expected the girls had managed to pull off an award-winning performance: not a single words stumble or note out of pitch. Throughout the song, the two danced around each other, never really breaking eye contact. Even as the song ended and the room broke into deafening applause, neither girl batted an eyelid away, just standing in the middle of the stage, looking breathlessly into each other's eyes.

After a few moments, however, they somehow made it back to their table of friends. "That was actually more of a love song than mine and Andre's." Tori laughed as the two sat down.

"Shut it, Tori." Jade said, still looking at Cat.

"Did she just call me 'Tori' for once?" Tori whispered to herself in shock.

It seemed that no one heard her though, especially not Jade and Cat. Neither of them had really understood that they'd even walked back to the table and were sat back with their friends, too focused on each other, both of their heart beating erratically in their chests so hard that they thought it might fly out. There were butterflies - no, lions - in their stomachs. Neither understood why, putting it down to the exertion caused by dancing and singing, but something about it just felt good.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the night passed smoothly. Soon after snapping Cat and Jade out of their shared trance, the gang ordered another round of food, talking about school while they ate, and then partook in a few more songs. None of them seemed to care that it was a Thursday night, meaning they had school the next day, but Fridays at HA were pretty chilled out anyway and it wasn't like they were getting drunk or anything else illegal, just staying out later than normal. It was all light-hearted fun, a bunch of teens just hanging out, staying out of trouble.

At 10 pm, the teens decided it was time to leave, knowing that they did need a decent night's sleep to stop them from falling asleep in class the next day. However, just as they stood to leave some people with the opposite agenda appeared. The people were two boys looking about the same age as the HA kids, maybe a year or two older. These teens could only be described stereotypically through the phrases 'fuck-boys' and 'bullies'. Without even talking to them, you just knew the type of personality they had. Both of them were extremely handsome, chiselled jaw, over 6 feet frame, tanned skin, bold eyes and perfect hair (one being brunette and the other light blonde). However, there was one distinct not-so-likeable feature, a deep smirk on there faces. One of those 'holier than thou' expression which made it seem as if they thought they were better than everyone else. It was clear that they were there to make trouble, not get on stage and sing or even order some food and sit down for a quiet chat.

"Ah chiz." Andre muttered as he noticed the two boys walking through the entranceway, scouting out the room. The gang had only just stood up from their table to leave, not yet gathered all their stuff together.

"What's up Dude?" Beck asked.

"Tori and I saw those guys when we were here on our date a few weeks ago." Andre started. "They were making fun of anyone who was singing, stealing and throwing food and just generally being obnoxious."

"Maybe we should leave quickly then," Robbie spoke up in a slight panic, hiding Rex under his arm, know about how the interaction would play out with boys like that.

"But they're blocking the doorway," Tori observed, noting how the two boys were leaning against the doorframe, obviously trying to be an inconvenience.

"Just follow me." Jade huffed, walking straight to the boys with her signature 'I don't care; move out of my way' expression.

"Hey girl." One of the boys hollered as she walked up to them, a few paces in front of the other's so that she looked like she was there alone.

"Move," Jade growled, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Not until you give me your number." The other winked creepily, looking her up and down, eyes lingering in a certain place on Jade's body.

"Leave her alone Dude." Beck interrupted as he, and the rest of the group, caught up with Jade.

"You her boyfriend or something?" One boy asked, taking a step forward towards Beck in an attempt to be threatening. Despite being the same height as him, it was clear the unknown boy had more muscles than Beck, so his attempts were not completely futile.

"No but-" Beck started.

"Cat?" The blonde boy suddenly stated, seeing the red-head stood behind Beck and Jade.

"Hi." Cat mumbled, looking at her feet, stepping back to hide better.

"You know these guys?" Andre asked, genuinely shocked.

"Of course we know her-" the brunette boy started "-she's at all the best parties, well not recently."

"Is this who you've ditched us for?" The blonde added, looking at the group of HA teenagers. "A load of kids who hang out in a dumb-ass sing-song place like this? -And does he have a puppet?" He asked, looking quizzically at Robbie who had Rex on his arm.

"That's an offe-" Rex started before Jade stood on Robbie's foot to shut him up.

"If this place is so 'dumb' then why the Hell are you here?" Jade defended, seeing how uncomfortable Cat was becoming, practically hiding behind Tori.

"To make fun of the nerds that are here." The blonde boy scoffed. "You should join us Cat, parties aren't as fun without you." He winked.

"She'd good Dude," Andre spoke up, stepping forward to further protect Cat.

"Don't tell me you're a prude now Valentine." The brunette shook his head, smirking to himself. "We both know it's too late for that."

"Unless these boys are her newest play-things." The other joked, making his friend laugh.

"Just move out of the way," Jade growled, her fists clenched by her sides, practically on the verge of seeing red.

"Fine." The boys backed away, arms raised in fake defence, moving out of the way of the doorway, still stood beside it though.

"Thank you," Jade said sarcastically, roughly pushing past them despite them being out of the way.

Beck, Robbie, Andre, Cat and Tori followed in that order. However, they re-blocked the pathway again after Andre had left, awkwardly trapping Tori and Cat. "The invitation is still open Kitty." One of the boys winked, leaning over the short girl. "You too 'Cheekbones'." He addressed Tori who was paralysed by sudden fear.

"N...no thank you." Cat stuttered the others of the HA gang not yet realising that they were missing two members.

"You used to be so much _fun_." The other boy growled seductively, tucking a loose strand of Cat's red hair behind her ear,

"I've changed." Cat sneered, pushing the boy away roughly.

"You'll be back." The boy said, lightly placing his hand on Cat's jaw and tilting it up to him.

"No, I won't," Cat replied, once again pushing him away and grabbing Tori's arm, dragging her out of the restaurant in tow. "You okay Tori?" She asked the silent girl.

"Uhuh," Tori mumbled, shaking her head to gather her thoughts. "Yeah... just who were those guys?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Cat shook her head, reaching their friends.

"I'm so sorry-" Andre stumbled his words, we thought you were following and we started to walk away. Jade noticed but-"

"Forget about it." Cat shrugged, quickly walking away down the dark street, trying to mask her emotions over the situation.

"Don't you sometimes think there's more to her past then she lets on? Like it was more than just 'partying'?" Beck whispered to Jade as they tried to keep up with the red-head.

"The thought comes to my head like twice a day," Jade admitted.


	8. Chapter 8

2 days later was a Saturday, arguably the best day of the week. No school, homework could be put off till the next day, the more out-going teens prepare for a night out, but most just relax. Everyone relaxes in different ways, some go out on a walk, taking in the beauty of nature; some love to read, filling their brains with more knowledge; some like to paint, draw or write, letting their creative minds flow; some listen to music, letting the lyrics match their soul.

Jade falls into the latter category, sat upon the soft grey couch, in the middle of the living room to her home. Her legs dangled over the edge, her feet tapping the floor below as she sat back and listened to her music. With eyes closed she let the lyrics flood her like an early summer breeze. They weren't always upbeat, but they soothed her just the same. If these singers felt just like her, maybe she wasn't alone after all. With all thoughts of reality forgotten, she brought her knees up to her chest and sucked in the smell of the dinner she'd left cooking in the oven. She sometimes wished that she didn't live alone, that there was someone to eat dinner with and talk about her day too. When she was with Beck, he'd be over as much as possible to keep her company, but he'd often go home before it was time for bed. He was a good friend to her, but she'd be lying to herself if she said he was a good boyfriend. He was good at comforting her and talking to her when she was down but their relationship quickly lost its 'spark' and they acted more like an old married couple, rather than two teenagers in their prime.

A series of loud, repetitive beeps suddenly interrupted Jade's music as her oven announced that her meal had finished cooking. Within moments of climbing off of the couch, Jade's phone decided to join the beeping noise by adding its own ring-tone to the mix. Quickly turning off the oven, Jade pulled the phone out of her pocket and answered it.

"What's up Cat?" She asked, placing an oven mitt in her spare hand and pulling her dinner out of the oven.

"_I..._" Cat mumbled from the other side of the phone.

"I'm about to eat my dinner, and yes I do know it's 9pm, but can we talk afterwards?" Jade replied, closing the oven door as she talked.

"_J...Jadey I'm scared._" Cat spoke up, her voice quiet.

This peaked all of Jade's attention very quickly and she immediately stopped everything. "Cat what's happening?"

"_There are people in my house,_" Cat said, even through the phone Jade could hear the shake in the younger girls voice

"What?!" Jade yelled suddenly, completely abandoning her dinner. "You mean someone's broken in? D you think you're being robbed?"

"_N...no it's Blaise and his friends_" Cat stuttered.

"What the hell are they doing there?!" Jade screamed, suddenly seeing red, already having a predisposed dislike towards the boy, now hating him with a passion.

"_I don't know!"_ Cat replied in a panic."_R...remember when I got that message about... about hosting a party?_"

"Yeah?"

"_I... I told them no... but they came anyway._" Cat mumbled. "_I tried to stop them... but they... they got in anyway... and_ t_hey won't leave._"

"Where are you?" Jade asked bluntly.

"_In my room; I'm hiding. They k...keep trying to get me to come out._"

"I'm coming over," Jade said suddenly, breaking into a near-sprint, heading towards her front door, barely giving herself enough time to grab her keys.

"_Please hurry_." Cat whimpered, her voice was almost too quiet to be heard over the phone.

A noise that could be clearly heard, however, was the loud BANG of a door slamming into a wall, followed by Cat's high-pitch squeak. In a feeble attempt to contact her friend, Jade started yelling into the phone. The only reply she got, however, was a deep "_B__ye_." Before the call was ended. The voice certainly was not Cat's.

Before this, Jade was panicked about her friend. Now she was downright terrified.

* * *

"CAT!" Jade screamed, pounding her fist into the front door of Cat's house. "CAT! CAT!" She repeated.

Suddenly the door opened, and Jade was almost relieved- almost. It wasn't Cat, but one of the intruders, a tall boy in his late teens, brown hair, blue eyes and a small amount of muscle on his frame. Without thinking, Jade pushed straight past him, bursting into the house. It was the epitome of a house-party, abide slightly downscaled with fewer people. Somehow whilst the door was shut she was unable to hear the music that was now so loud it made her skin tingle and lungs feel like mush. The bass thumped in time with the pulsing of her heart, pumping her boiling blood as she got madder and madder. Over the roar of music, a distant, hazy chatter could be heard. She couldn't make out any words, but she could see it was coming from the groups of people in the main room. There were some boys at a table, playing cards as they smoked something- Jade couldn't be sure what. A few couples on a make-shift dancefloor and a pile of beer and other drinks in the corner. The wasn't too many people to make the house crowded, probably about 15 people, but none of them were invited there, and that made Jade madder.

"Who're you?" The boy, who opened the door, asked Jade.

"I could ask you the same question," Jade growled.

"You're kinda hot, you wanna join the fun?" He asked, looking Jade up and down. Despite not being partially dressed up, as she was at home alone only minutes prior, her 'comfy' shirt was still pretty tight and low cut.

"Where's Cat?" Jade asked, ignoring the boy's creepy remarks.

"Dunno." He shrugged. "Look, I've gotta get back to this. You want me to get you a drink?"

"Sure." Jade lied, mentally coming up with a plan. The boy smirked to himself before turning away to the pile of booze in the corner of the room. As soon as his back was facing Jade, she bolted up the staircase beside her, heading to the second floor of the Valentine house, desperate to find her friend. At almost a full sprint, she burst into Cat's bedroom, expecting to see her friend in there as that was where she was during the call. However, she wasn't in there. Jade had now gone from very panicked to seeing nothing but red. "CAT!" She called out again in despair her yells were slightly muffled by the still deafening music.

"J...jade?" She heard a voice call back, barely audible.

"Yes, it's me!" Jade called back. "Where are you?"

The clicking of an unlocking bathroom door behind her caught Jade's attention and she quickly pushed the door open, stepping into the room. "It's the only room that has a lock," Cat mumbled, sat against the wall with her knees brought up to her chest, head buried in them as if she were trying to make herself as small as possible.

"I'm here now, it's okay," Jade told her, shutting the door and quickly sitting beside her friend.

"Thank you," Cat mumbled, her voice shaking.

"What happened Cat?" Jade asked, tears starting to brim her eyes as she looked at her broken friend.

"I... I told you." She replied, looking up slowly. Her face was deathly pale and there were mascara stains running down her face from past tears. There was a sadness in her eyes, the brown too glossy.

"I meant when the call ended," Jade said, slowly reaching up an using the cuff of her sleeve to try and wipe away some of Cat's dried tears. "I heard a loud bang and then a guy's voice." She added, making sure to keep her voice level as to not show Cat her true panic.

"B...Blaise o..opened my door." Cat stuttered. "I don't know how as I had a chair holding it shut-" She started to rant, her thoughts crowding in her mind.

"I'm really starting to not like this guy," Jade commented to herself. "Then what happened?" She asked Cat, being careful to keep her voice calm and let Cat take her time. The atmosphere in the room was surprisingly soft, the loud music somehow practically unhearable from the room.

"He pushed me onto my bed and... tried to... he tried to sleep with me." Cat gulped, looking away from Jade suddenly, her cheeks starting to turn red.

"What the hell?" Jade growled, her voice scarily deep. "How the fuck did he think that was okay? What the crap is wrong with that guy?!" She yelled to herself, the list of profanities spewing out of her mouth.

"Don't get mad." Cat whimpered, her eyes going wide.

"I'm not mad at you Cat, I'm mad at him," Jade told her, pacing back and forth in front of her. "What does he look like? I'll go downstairs and beat him up, I swear."

"Jadey don't please," Cat spoke up, trying to calm her friend.

"What, why not?" Jade replied, shocked by how Cat was practically deafening Blaise.

"It's not his fault-"

"What the-? Then who the hells fault is it? It certainly isn't yours!" Jade started to frantically ask. "Wait... has this happened before?" She said suddenly.

"...I guess so." Cat muttered, looking straight at the floor.

Suddenly, words left Jade. She stared into Cat's big brown eyes and her heart fell silent. Her mind was blank and eyes wide as she stared at Cat in horror. Slowly, she sat down in front of Cat, slowly taking the redhead's smaller hands in her own. "When?" Jade mumbled, those being the only words she could think of.

"Since I started partying I guess," Cat admitted, feeling embarrassed, looking away from Jade's eyes. "At first they... they told me that's what people always do at the end of parties... and I just believed them so I'd... I'd sleep with them when they told me to." She paused briefly to keep herself calm, and in this time Jade started to rub her thumb over the back of Cat's hand, reminding her that she was there for her. "I thought they were my friends and friends don't lie, right? But when I got older... I realised that they were just using me. That they did lie to me... that I shouldn't be doing that kind of thing..."

"Why didn't you stop then?" Jade asked, not even thinking about judging Cat's life choices, knowing that it wasn't her fault, or even really a 'choice' that she had.

"I had no other friends... I mean I had you, Beck, Andre and Robbie but you were my 'school friends'." Cat started. "I tried to stop but then they told me to stop coming to parties if I didn't sleep with them... so I gave in and just kept doing what they wanted. Then they found out my parents moved to Idaho so I had an empty house so they'd organise parties here like this... but normally I'd be told first... I got scared that if I stopped doing what they wanted they'd come here and hurt me or something... or they'd do what they're doing now... I... I"

"It's okay Cat... none of this is your fault," Jade said slowly, her thumb still rubbing over Cat's hand as a sign of comfort. "These guys are rapists and I promise, we'll get our revenge."

"Is... is that rape?" Cat asked, unsure. "Most of the time I was aware enough of what was happening and I did technically agree... it's what they want so I just-"

"They blackmailed you into it Cat! You weren't fully consenting. Hell, if it's been going on for as long as you say it has, that's definitely statutory rape at least!" Jade said, amazed that Cat didn't think that what had happened to her was wrong. However, she had to try and stay calm for Cat's sake, so she took a deep breath before continuing. "W...wait." She paused again. "You said 'Most of the time'... right? Cat... is that why you don't know who the baby's dad is?"

"Uhuh..." Cat mumbled, shaking slightly as she remembered the night of one of her last parties. "I'm normally not that out of it when I get taken to a room so I'm always safe... but that time I... I don't remember anything... I was at the party and then...nothing."

"Do you think you had your drink was spiked or something?" Jade asked.

"Jade... I don't wanna talk about it. Please." Cat begged, tears already brimming her eyes.

"Fine." Jade sighed, smiling weakly at the shaking girl. "But we need to sort this situation out. I'm calling the police on the people downstairs."

"Won't we get in trouble though?" Cat asked. "They have beer down there, and the police will just think we're involved with it too."

"They're trespassing in your house, that's all the police will care about. Besides, my dad's good friends with the chief, so if anything does come up I'm sure he can get rid of it." Jade told her, pulling her phone out of her pocket and pressing 911. "Hello?" She spoke into the phone, pausing as the operator spoke back. "There's a bunch of teenagers trespassing in my friend's home." She started to act really distressed as if she were in complete turmoil. "They've got beer and are smoking something. I'm really scared." After a few more moments of conversation, such as telling the address and where she and Cat were hiding, she ended the call, also ending her distressed facade.

"What were you doing?" Cat asked, referring to how Jade seemingly went into a total meltdown over the phone.

"If you sound scared then they'll come quicker." Jade shrugged, sitting down beside Cat. "Now all we need to do is wait."

"Thank you," Cat said quietly, resting her head upon Jade's shoulder.

"I'm always here for you." She replied equally is quietly, wrapping an arm around Cat and pulling her closer.

* * *

Less than 5 minutes later, the police arrived and the whole group of trespassing teenagers fled within moments. The police only managed to catch a few but, despite Jade's protest, Cat decided not to press charges, so they all got away with only a warning and a fine for possession of alcohol. It took Jade some time to understand Cat's decision, but after some deliberations, she just had to accept it. At the end of the day, Cat was a very loyal person, never able to turn against her friends, even after they'd done horrible things to her. Jade had known this all her life, Cat never got mad at her after any of her insults or petty comments, but she never imagined it would go as far as defending past friends from the consequences of breaking laws. It was sad if you thought about it, that she was so desperate to be liked by everyone, she wouldn't do anything to hurt them, even if they very much deserved it.

After a while, the police left Cat's home, the red-head shaking like a leaf from the whole situation, way too scared to stay at her home alone. Jade couldn't bear to let Cat stay in that situation, insisting that she spend the night at her house so she could keep an eye on her. In all honesty, it didn't take much convincing for Cat to agree, not sure she would have felt safe at home either.

By the time they arrived at Jade's house, it was almost midnight, but neither girl thought they'd be able to get to sleep after the whole ordeal. They quickly decided that it was too late to occupy themselves with singing, so they turned to their next favourite past time. Movies. Like last time, Jade let Cat have the choice, and as expected she chose Beauty and The Beast, her all-time favourite. Despite popular belief, Jade was actually quite partial to old Disney movies. You can actually watch them, as they're unlike the modern ones where everyone's too scared about offending someone to put anything real in. In fact, she'd always liked the idea of redemption, somewhat identifying with Beast, and how it took someone as pure as Belle to make him human, to show him love.

It seemed as if Cat was unable to make it through a movie without falling asleep, as about 20 minutes in, her head was rested on Jade's chest, her limp muscles practically melting into Jade's body whose arms were wrapped lighty around Cat to stop her from falling off the couch.

To Jade, Cat was one of the prettiest people in the world and in sleep she was just angelic, her face as fresh as a dewdrop, making gentle snuffling noises as she breathed. Originally, the plan was for Jade to sleep in her room and Cat to be in the spare. However, Jade couldn't bring herself to wake the redhead, merely turning off the TV and leaning back into the couch, to prepare herself to sleep in the same position with Cat laying still atop her. It wouldn't be very comfortable, but you'd have to be evil to interrupt the sleep of someone who: firstly really needed it, and secondly looked so pure and content in that state. So Jade just bit the bullet and tried to make herself as comfortable as she could, making sure to not wake the sleeping girl beside her.


	9. Chapter 9

Cat POV

It's been a week since that day, so it's once again a Saturday. I can't shake the feeling that last weeks situation is just going to happen again tonight, but I'm sure it won't. The police really scared those guys off, and I got removed from the 'Saturday Night Squad' group chat the next morning. At first, it really hurt, but Jade told me about how I didn't need them anymore, how my past was behind me, and this was a reason to move on. It took me a while to see the reason behind her words, my pregnancy hormones really messing up my emotions, but eventually, she calmed me down.

She's been so good to me, too good almost. I somewhat feel guilty for dragging her down with me, but she always tells me that it's what she wants to do. I think she's right, that she enjoys the company... and I do too. We're both used to spending time alone I guess, neither of us having our parents at home with us, but we both went different ways to deal with it. Jade closed herself down, somewhat thriving the loneliness, finding one person- Beck- to spend her time with to stop herself from going insane. I did the opposite really, trying to surround myself with as many people as possible, going out and partying. I wish I was like Jade sometimes, she was happy with Beck... whereas I've ended up pregnant and with quite a bit of emotional trauma. I wish I'd found someone that made me happy... though a part of me thinks I may recently have.

Anyway, I do wonder what will happen when the baby is born. I know for a fact that I won't be able to afford it on my own, especially without a job, and I might even have to drop out of school which means I'll have to skip college. Jade keeps saying she'll help me out, but do I really want that? And how long will that last- until the baby's 18? I can't just take her money like that. I'd like to think my parents would help me out, but I'm not so sure. They've never approved of my 'lifestyle' and I have distinct memories of my dad yelling at me about how 'I'll end up pregnant' and how he 'wouldn't help me out' if I did. It breaks my heart to think about it... I dread to think how they'll react when I tell them.

There's always the other option, to give the baby up for adoption. Never in a million years could I abort it, and even thinking about adoption sends a pang through my heart... but maybe I'll have to do that. I really don't want to though. At the end of the day, it's my child... and I don't think I could live with myself knowing I gave them up.

Jade POV

Cat's thinking again, I can see it in her stature. She always furrows her brows, twiddles her thumbs and sits there with a slight pout on her face. It's kinda cute in a - _wait a minute. What_? Did I, Jadelyn Elizabeth West, just use the word 'cute'? Oh God, Cat's starting to rub off on me. She looks really deep in thought, I think she may have completely forgotten I'm here at all, she's totally forgotten about the food she made at least because she's not even touched that yet. "Hello?" I speak up, waving in front of her face. "Earth to Cat?"

"Oh yeah, heya," Cat said, blinking rapidly to bring herself back reality.

"Forgot you were at my house did we?" I ask, shaking my head to myself.

"Maybe," Cat admits, looking around at the room we were in as if it were the first time she'd ever seen it.

"You gonna eat that?" I asked, nodding to the sandwich on Cat's plate.

"I... I don't think so." Cat mumbled, pushing it away from her, brows furrowed slightly.

"You don't look too great," I observed, noting her pale her skin was.

"I don't feel great." She said, resting her head in her hands.

"Oh crap," I muttered. "I know that look." Quickly springing to my feet, I lept off of my seat and grabbed a paper bag, that was left on the counter from groceries, and shoved it into Cat's hands. Within moments, she buckled over, vomiting into the bag.

"I'm so sorry." She muttered after she'd finished emptying her stomach.

"It's okay," I said, rubbing her back to soothe her. "It's not your fault."

"I hate this sickness." She mumbled. "And I'm so sorry for making you do all this for me."

"I don't know how many times I can say this, but I-"

"Promised to help." Cat finished for me, knowing exactly what I was going to say.

"Here." I took the bag from her and folded over the top. "I'll put this in the outdoor bin while you get yourself a drink.

Most people would revolt at the idea of carrying a bag of sick, however, I'm kinda used to Cat being ill now. Since last Saturday she's been too scared to be alone in her house anymore, staying over here nearly every night, meaning I've been there for a lot of her morning sickness. I'd be lying if I say I didn't like it- not her being sick I mean- I like having someone else in the house with me. Each morning she'll cook me something for breakfast and also dinner each night, and trust me, she's an amazing cook, like any stereotypical Italian. I think she feels guilty about staying here though, as she apologises for every 2 and a half seconds, but I generally enjoy her company.

In the last week alone, we've watched more movies than I care to admit, sung about 101 songs whilst blasting the radio in the kitchen, made 3 batches of cookies, and done a number of other cliché teenage girl activities. I can't say that baking cookies and singing along to Disney songs are my favourite things to do, but it makes Cat happy, and that makes me happy. We've been best friends nearly all our lives, but we've definitely gotten closer recently. Much closer in fact, and it feels different. It's like I think about her differently, look at her differently, talk to her differently.

I think these feeling have been manifesting for quite some time, but recently it's like they've gone into turbo-drive. Seeing her suddenly makes my heart twirl. Hearing her voice makes my stomach flutter. I can't help but feel this way about her. Her eyes, those deep amber eyes that could tell a whole story just by looking at them. And the way she moves. She almost skips along, effortlessly looking adorable. Whenever I see her I stop to look at her and admire her perfection. I imagine her hands brushing against my hand as we walk down the school hallway and everyone's eyes are fixed on us.

I think I'm finally admitting to myself what I've known all along, but have been too afraid to admit it: I like her. A lot. It doesn't faze me that she's a girl. Labels are for idiots who need to define everything. I just want to be with her.

If only there were a way to know if she likes me back.

* * *

After walking back into the house, I decided to head up to my room to focus on these newly discovered feelings and work out what to do about them. Cat stayed downstairs, playing something on the piano in the main room. From upstairs I couldn't really hear what she was doing, leaving me alone with my thoughts as I'd planned. However, after laying on my bed for an hour, staring blankly into the ceiling, I was no closer to working out what I wanted. So I just stood up and walked back downstairs, the sound of Cat's piano playing slowly reacting my ears. She was playing something slow and delicate, yet there was no doubt to its intricacy, Cat had always been an amazing musician, not just vocally but also with gifts in pretty much any instrument she laid her hands on. She was the one that got me into music, the one that convinced me to audition for Hollywood Arts... that's just another reason why I admired her.

Slowly and quietly, I closed my bedroom door behind me and sat at the top of the staircase, out of Cat's eyesight, but close enough for me to hear her playing. It was just so peaceful, the slowly changing tones touching different parts of my brain, a sort of auditory massage for my mind. It was almost an invitation for slowness and to feel the presence of myself, the ever-patient version of me who waits and cherishes moments like that and is content to just listen.

Momentarily, the music halted and I felt a slight panic, wondering if she'd seen me eavesdropping and had decided to stop playing. However, as the notes restart a few moments later in a different key, I understood it was just because she was changing to a new song.

After only playing a few notes, she started to sing along to it. They were lyrics I'd never heard before, being sung atop an equally unknown piano accompaniment. It didn't take long for me to realise it was a song she'd written herself, I presumed in a recent Song-Writing lesson at school. There was something slightly different to her normal pieces though, her voice was more raw, sensual, matured and the tone darker than normal. Most of her songs are upbeat and happy-go-lucky, but I've gotta admit I like this style a lot.

**(A/N The song is 'Into You' By Ariana Grande, however, it is based on the 'Piano Acoustic Version' on the Youtube account 'Raja', but ignore the really complex runs. Plus, I've edited some of the lyrics to fit the scene better.)**

_"I'm so into you, I can barely breathe  
__And all I wanna do is to fall in deep  
__But close ain't close enough 'til we cross the line  
__So name a game to play, and I'll roll the dice, hey_

_Oh baby, look what we started  
__The temperature's rising in here  
__Is this gonna happen?  
__Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move  
__Before I make a move_

_So baby, you light me up and baby you're just so perfect  
__A little mysterious, but baby, you know I love it  
__A little less hesitation, and a little more going for it.  
__'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
__Don't care if they're watchin' us, so why should we keep it secret?  
__A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't think about it  
__A little less hesitation, and a little more __going for it.  
__'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you, oh yeah_

_This could take some time, hey  
__I made too many mistakes  
__Better get this right, right, baby_

_Oh baby, look what we started  
__The temperature's rising in here  
__Is this gonna happen?  
__Been waiting and waiting for you to make a move  
__Before I make a move_

_So baby, you light me up and baby you're just so perfect  
__A little mysterious, but baby, you know I love it  
__A little less hesitation, and a little more __going for it.  
__'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
__Don't care if they're watchin' us, so why should we keep it secret?  
__A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't think about it  
__A little less hesitation, and a little more __going for it.  
__'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you._

_Tell me what you came here for  
__'Cause I can't, I can't wait no more  
__I'm on the edge with no control  
__And I need, I need you to know  
__You to know, oooh_

_So baby, you light me up and baby you're just so perfect  
__A little mysterious, but baby, you know I love it  
__A little less hesitation, and a little more __going for it.  
__'Cause I'm so into you, into you, into you  
__Oooh_

_(Don't care if they're watchin' us,) so why should we keep it secret?  
__A little bit scandalous, but baby, don't think about it  
__Yeah, yeah  
__Oooh_

_So come light me up, my baby  
__A little mysterious, my baby  
__I'm so... __I'm so __into you."_

As the final notes faded away into nothingness, I continued to sit in awe, still hidden from Cat's view. She was definitely singing that about someone, presumably a crush. Well, obviously a crush. My heart fell as I thought about it. I'd just discovered my feelings for her and she was singing about someone else. Never had it crossed my mind that that 'someone' could have been me... just filled with jealousy over the mystery boy she wrote about.

I was so deep in thought, however, that I missed the sounds of Cat closing the piano lid and walking across the room towards the staircase. With my mind still a foggy mess, I didn't notice she'd moved until she was stood at the bottom of the staircase, looking up at me with an expression of embarrassment and confusion. "H...how long have you been there?" She stuttered, eyes wide as she looked at me.

"Not long," I replied quickly, unsure of why she was so flustered.

"So you heard that song?" She asked slowly.

"Yeah." I said, once again confused by her questions. "It's a nice song. Who's it about?" I continued, weakly smiling at her in an attempt to hide my slight resentment.

"N...no one." She mumbled, turning around to walk away.

"Wait!" I called out, standing up and practically bolting down the stairs towards her. "I'm intrigued now," I added. I'm not a nosey person by nature, at least I'd like to think I'm not, but when people intentionally keep information from me, I get the sudden urge to want to learn everything. "Come on Cat, you can tell me who the lucky guy is." I winked, both trying to get out said information and also to further cover my still jealous feelings.

"It's not a guy." She whispered to herself, almost too quiet for me to hear.

"Oh," I said slowly. "Who's the lucky girl then? I'm not here to judge." At this point, my brain started to finally connect the dots, though Cat's next words really sped up the journey to a conclusion.

"It's... it's... well... You." She said. It was now that I realised I'd misinterpreted her lyrics completely. And suddenly, words left me. I felt my cheeks flushed hot, and my heart pounded in my throat, threatening to break out. Jade?" Cat mumbled, practically shaking as she spoke. "Please... please say something." But my mind was blank and my eyes wide as I stared at her in shock.

Her eyes desperately searched mine… waiting. I had to say something! I searched my mind for something reasonable to say, but to my surprise, my heart answered for me, "I... I feel the same way, Cat."

"Really?" Cat beamed, looking as excited as a child in a candy store. As soon as she smiled at me, my worries whisked away like a bunch of fruit-flies caught in a heavy gust of wind. Excitement rushed through my veins. True happiness flared in her eyes and for the first time in a while, it began to in mine too. Even if the world around me started collapsing, my heart would not get crushed as long as I was looking at her.

"Yes really," I reassured. I couldn't help but let a smile of my own spread across my face, mimicking hers.

"You like me?" Cat asked, seemingly not able to comprehend what she was hearing. I felt a slight pang in my heart over this, she'd been in so many relationships before but none of them were with someone truly cared about her or remotely deserved her. It was all too clear she'd been damaged by these past hurdles, unable to really understand what it was like for someone to care for her... we'd only just admitted those feelings for each other and she was already showing how much she valued it, and I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or feel pity towards her.

"Yes!" I said, slightly more forceful then I intended, but I really wanted to get my point across.

She looked down, and I had to squint, but I think she was actually blushing. I could still feel the sense that I needed to prove to her that I wasn't joking, that I wasn't just another person trying to get what they wanted from her... I needed to show her that I really did feel something towards her.

So, slowly, I moved my arms around her, and she looked up at me, her red hair shining so brightly under the sunlight which peaked in from a nearby window. She just looked so pretty, -scrap that- beautiful. Continuing to move slowly, I raised a hand to her face, tilting her chin up. "Jade?" I smiled because she was so clueless. She was just standing there, not even realizing what I was about to do, just watching me, waiting. I move my face to hers, and I touch my lips to hers softly, so softly. I heard her breath gasp in, and press my lips against her harder, making her kiss me. Her lips were tentative at first, but she started to respond, her little body trembling against me. She was actually a pretty good kisser. Soft and sweet. I swear, she tasted like candy. Our lips part with a soft sound and she was breathing out through her mouth, her hot breath feathering my face. "J-Jade?" Her voice was all soft and sweet and flustered. I couldn't help but panic slightly, my brain suddenly telling me that I'd gone too far, that I shouldn't have kissed her... but I couldn't take it back now.

"Do you wanna be my girlfriend Cat?" My mind was racing too fast for me to be coy. I'm blunt. It's who I am.

"Y-you sure?" Her voice was practically hopeful like she couldn't believe anyone would like her. I studied her for a moment. She was more messed up than I gave her credit for.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I asked. "Cat, you're so... you're." My brain couldn't seem to connect enough words to form a sentence. "Damn it you're just so perfect."

"Yes." She replied suddenly.

"Yes? Yes to what?" I pushed.

"Yes, I'll be your girlfriend." She beamed. Her smile shined like the stars in the sky, with no bright city lights to dim them. It was like the sun opened its eager light to shine about her, only brightening her perfectly aligned teeth. I lifted her head again and kissed her, a kiss she met me more eagerly this time. I was right, she did taste like candy.


	10. Chapter 10

Jade POV

I'm known for hating quite a few things: ducks, the word moist, the number 9, green soup, sweating, mustard, cramps. I could go on... I really could. However, I am making a point here. One of the things I hate most of all are Monday mornings.

Firstly, you have to wake up early. Then you have to go to school. And thirdly, I have to actually socialize with people. URRRGHHH. Who invented Mondays? I've gotta admit, I didn't hate mornings as much when I woke up to Cat cooking breakfast for me, or still asleep on my lap after watching a movie. However, since we started dating, she decided that staying over nearly every night wasn't something we could do anymore without our relationship moving too fast. At first, I tried to convince her out of it, but subconsciously, I understood where she was coming from.

Anyway, Monday's are not one of my favourite things, and they're made worse when you're nervous. Why am I nervous? Because Cat was nervous. And why were we both nervous? Because we were about to tell our friends about our relationship. Now, I'm not an overly anxious person, but when your girlfriend is stood beside you, bitting her nails like a famished mouse, it kinda gets to you too. I'm not overly sure why were are nervous, a part of me thinks it's because adding another couple to our group will change the whole dynamic, I mean it shifted slightly when Andre asked Tori out, and I'm worried they'll hate us for it. But there's a nagging thought at the back of my mind, telling me that they'll reject us because Cat and I are both girls. We don't exactly live in a prejudiced area, in fact, LA is practically the gay capital of the world, but it's just something my mind won't stop thinking about.

While I stand in silence, trying to mentally organise my rapid thoughts, Cat is all over the place chattering constantly to herself. If I'm being honest, I'm not sure what she's on about, just some of her normal random ramblings of puppies I'm guessing. I'm not sure whether to put it down to her pregnancy hormones or just butterflies in her stomach. Either way, she's nervous, I'm nervous. Let's get this over with.

Quickly, I grab her hand and walk straight into the school. Within moments we were stood with the others by Tori's locker, and it's showtime. I feel a pulse of anger when I see Andre cosying up to Tori. They're able to be so open with their feelings... we would be able to soon though. I calm myself and smile at Cat and she grins back. The group's gone quiet, Andre, Robbie and Tori staring at us, Beck with suspicion in his eyes. We squeeze in between Beck and Robbie, opposite of Tori and Andre. I keep my hand holding Cat's, squeezing slightly as I feel her tense up.

Robbie chews his lip, looking between us. "Um... Cat... why are you holding Jade's hand?"

"Yeah, what's going on here?" Pipes in Rex. God, I hate that puppet.

Cat looks at our joined hands for a second. "Oh. We're dating." She says it exuberantly. I'm amazed by how calm she is, how her expression shows nothing but a calm smile as if she doesn't even realize that people don't feel exactly the way she feels, that some people might not like it. Though from the slight clamminess of her hand and the tensing of her body, I could tell that she was subconsciously scared shitless of their reactions. From an outsider perspective Cat seems like an open book, when you get closer though, you realise that the book is actually written in another language.

"For real?" Says Andre, attempting to break the silence.

"Yuppie." Cat replies childishly, suddenly pushing herself onto her tiptoes and pecking my lips. It's not much, but I'm completely surprised by her soft, full lips. "Hehe." Cat giggled at my wide-eyed expression.

"Damn it!" Tori muttered to herself.

"What?" I snapped suddenly, very sensitive in the moment. "You got something against us being together?"

"God no!" She defended quickly, clearly flustered. "I totally support Gay rights and you two are cute but,-"

"You jealous or something then?" I growled, pissed off that she decided to speak up now. I could feel my hand clench tighter around Cat's who just gave a small squeeze back.

"I lost a bet!" Tori yelled suddenly, cutting me off like I had previously cut her off.

"A bet?" Cat and I asked in unison, both equally confused.

"Yeah-" Andre interrupted. "She owes me $10." He smirked.

"Wait a minute did you make a bet on me and Cat getting together?" I said.

"I'm wishing I didn't," Tori grumbled, pulling a $10 out of her purse. "I was expecting you two to give it a short after graduation and Andre bet it would be earlier. You couldn't have held out a little longer could you?"

"So you're all okay with this?" Cat spoke up, swinging our joint hands back and forth.

"Why wouldn't we be?" Robbie spoke up, smiling sweetly at her.

"You're the best!" She yelled, letting go of my hand and pulling all 6 of us into a hug. I'm not entirely sure how her tiny arms managed to pull us all around, but somehow she did it.

"Just take care of her Jade." I heard Beck whisper to me as we stood back. "She's sensitive and you can be tough sometimes."

"I know," I whispered back, understanding that his words were coming from a place of support rather than an insult. "I wouldn't hurt her. I can't."


	11. Chapter 11

A week later (The Next Monday)

Jade POV

I...I think I'm falling for her. No, I know I'm falling for her- I have fallen for her. It's only been a week, but I already feel more for her than I ever did with Beck. She never leaves my mind, she's always there; mentally if not physically. It's just incomprehensible. She's my one stable force, my one stability in a world filled with abandonment and I so desperately need that in my life. I love her so much for that.

This feeling is so strange; it stretches throughout my whole body. It's overwhelming, yet makes me feel complete. It has no bound nor length nor depth; it's just absolute. It feels as though I'm in a dangerous fire, yet I'm completely safe at the same time. It feels as though someone's given me peace. It feels as though my heart is dancing around my chest; and a hole, I was never aware was there, has been filled. I feel so light like I'm on top of the world yet my heart is constricting and it feels as if there's no oxygen in my lungs.

It's strange – frightening even – how you can go from someone being nothing more than a friend to then being completely infatuated by them and wondering how it ever was that you were able to live without them because I sure as hell couldn't imagine being without her now. I know we're only young, and most people would consider me to be foolish, but it's true when I say that I love her more than I could ever love myself.

Despite the lust I have for her, I've made a serious effort to try and keep the relationship moving slowly, for Cat's sake. She's been totally used and played before, and I don't want to become another scar on her heart. Of course, we've shared a few kisses, but none lasting more than a few seconds, and any over-night stays haven't escalated any further than a cuddle. I desperately want this relationship to work out, not just because of us, but the baby too. Cat's always been my best friend, and even if I didn't have these feelings for her I'd want to help her out in this situation, but now she's practically my responsibility. Without this baby even being born, or bigger than 4 inches long, I already know I love it as much as I love its mother. Just thinking about taking them to play in the park, listening to their first words, singing them a lullaby when they're restless... wow Cat is really having an influence on me.

I used to be so harsh and tough, yelling at someone for just looking at me funny. Now my mind is crowded with thoughts about love and compassion. I... I can't say I don't like it though. Over this last week, it's like my personality has done a 180 when I'm around her, practically mimicking her optimistic personality like it's some contagious disease. Though I wouldn't be being honest if I didn't mention that I'm still mean sometimes, but what can I say, old habits die hard.

It's currently the start of lunch and I'm just heading out of my class towards my locker to grab my food before going to the Asphalt Cafe to meet Cat. I can already feel a small smile tugging at my lips when I think about her, but I've gotta keep some sort of my reputation, so I leave my expression completely blank as I push my way through the corridor. I'm used to getting a nudge or shove or two from a cocky freshman thinking it's okay to push me back but suddenly a hand has a vice-like grip on my arm, pulling me roughly into the janitor's closet. My mind starts spinning and I'm just about to punch whoever did it before my eye's locked with theirs. They were deep sienna, with a mischievous glint that seemed to reflect the corners of their mouth, which was fighting a smile. Cat.

The next thing I knew, she had slammed her lips to mine and nearly knocked all wind from my lungs, not even giving me enough time to say 'Hi'. Suddenly, my brain lights on fire and the warmth spread throughout my entire body. Sparks flew in every direction, and the world was slowly disappearing around us. My lips were firm against hers, but the kiss remained soft, gentle, slow. Kissing Cat was better than any experience in the world, one which nothing can even come close to. She just throws herself into it completely. It's sort of overwhelming, and it's so different from kisses I shared with Beck. I'm reminded of this when my hands move to her waist, and it's slim, womanly curves I'm tracing instead of hard muscle. Her lips are much softer too, it's like kissing a marshmallow, in both taste and texture.

We held it for a few seconds before our lips began to move in perfect sync, slowly, cautiously. I exhaled through my nose, not wanting to let go. My entire body had been taken over by the overwhelming feeling of relief, combined with eccentric panic, and lust. She moved her hand from my cheek to the back of my head, her fingers tangling in my long hair, lightly pulling me into her, adding more pressure to our lips, deepening the kiss.

After a few more moments, it's Cat who breaks the kiss, pulling back with a little smile on her face. She nods, satisfied, tracing a finger over my lips. It's times like this most people would get all mushy and comforting. But that's not how I work. Mush and me do not mix, no matter how much of an effect she has on me. So I settle for just slightly tightening my grip on her waist. It seems to be enough, and she smiles, moving to kiss me lightly. She lets out a little sigh after, joining on slight tip-toe and resting her forehead against mine, her breath is sweet on my face.

As soon as we've caught our breath, just looking into each other's eyes, I kiss her again, harder, and I hear her take a sharp breath. Her taste... it's almost addictive. It's teasing and sweet. I run my tongue along her lips and she gasps, pressing into me. I use the opportunity to satisfy my curiosity, sliding my tongue into her mouth. The taste is stronger, and I touch her tongue lightly. I pull back, satisfied, and I have to smirk at the dreamy look on her face. "I really like that." She murmurs, grinning at me. My smirk gets a little wider.

As she leans in again, the kiss is different somehow. It's not just an 'I'm kissing you because I can, and I want to, so I am' sort of a kiss. She's kissing me in soft, fervent little bursts, breaking away only to gasp in a short breath. I'm surprised... I didn't... I don't... she's overwhelming me, her hand slowly moving down my back. Why does this keep happening? I mean, I know we're teenagers and all, but why can't I control myself? I never had this problem with Beck or anyone I've ever dated. There are very good reasons why neither of us should be doing this. Reasons that I'm finding it hard to think of suddenly. "C-Cat," I manage to gasp in between kisses, my lips feeling flushed and over-plumped from her ministrations.

It takes a huge effort, but I manage to grab her arms, and it gets her attention enough that she pulls back, slightly breathless. It takes me a moment to recover myself, before I can say, "Cat... what are you doing?" I try to keep my voice soft, because even just asking her something like this might hurt her. She gets offended so easily, especially with her exaggerated emotions at the moment. I'm surprised when she doesn't say anything, her hands moving reluctantly from my back. "Cat?" I'm still waiting for an outburst, for her trademark, 'What's that supposed to mean?'.

"You... you want me to stop?" Cat's voice is quiet and hesitant.

"No... Yes... I... we can't get this heated in a janitor's closet okay." I tell her, my voice still soft.

"You're right." She replies, sounding somewhat guilty. "I'm sorry, but these pregnancy hormones and I-"

"It's okay," I tell her. "Trust me, I want this too... I've never had such a strong urge before. It's ridiculous. I... I really like you. I mean, duh! But we can't here.. not now... My mind's not functioning at it's best. Suffice it to say that my body knows a lot more about how it feels than my mind does but-"

"I understand." She tells me slowly taking my hands in a way, not of affection, but comfort. "I'm not used to taking things slowly like this-" She looks away kind embarrassed. "But I'll try for you."

"I want to savour this Cat," I reply honestly.

"Me too. Thank you for stopping me." She said, slowly standing back on her tip-toes and lightly kissing my nose as a sign of apology.

Once again, my body instantly warms up, but I calm myself and slowly take her hand, leading her out of the closest. When I was with Beck, I wouldn't dare walk out like this, so clearly emerging from a makeout session, but what can I say? Cat really has changed me in ways no one else could. I'm happier with her, happier then I've ever been. She's happier too I think. Cat's always happy, but there's always been a sense of uncertainty to it, I feel like that's slowly going away.

Things are hard on her at the moment, mainly because of the fact she's trying to hide her pregnancy and the symptoms that go with it, but I feel like I'm helping... I hope I'm helping.


	12. Chapter 12

Cat POV

A few minutes later, in the Asphalt Cafe

I feel horrible. My mind is spinning and I want nothing more than to slam my head into the table to knock myself out. That was a bit dark, wasn't it? Well, Jade's personality is rubbing off on me. The pain won't stop throbbing violently around my skull like someone had taken a knife to it. I'm practically being blinded with flashing colourful spots and craved darkness, quiet and stillness. All I can do is lean my head against his desk. Squeezing my eyes shut, willing the pain to go away. With my hands over my ears, I can barely hear the people chattering around her. All I feel, all I know is the pain of this moment.

I'm no stranger to these headaches, them being a staple part of my pregnancy nausea, but they've never been this bad. I think it's because I have so much on my mind. Well, it's not a lot of things, just one main thought. Jade, more specifically what I did to her. I went way too overboard, jumping on her like that. She's been trying to take this relationship slow and I shouldn't be pushing her like that. In all honesty, I'm glad she's taking it slow, and I know she's doing it for me. I can see how much she wants to do more than just kiss and cuddle, how the glint in her eyes goes when I tell her I'm going home for the night rather than sleeping at hers. Even when I stay at her house, it's in the spare room. She knows my past and she's scared to let it happen again. I'm both flattered and annoyed at it in all honesty. I want to show her how much I care about her, but maybe that's just my twisted past telling me to move things along or else she'll leave... but maybe it's my mind actually wanting to spend more time with her and to take things further...

"You okay Cat?" I hear her voice echo around my head.

"Huh?" I replied, removing my hands from my ears and slowly sitting upright, my headache still pounding against my skull.

"Are you okay?" She repeats, looking at me with genuine concern.

"Yea... headache," I mumbled, my brain not sending my mouth the correct signals over how to talk.

"Anyone got any tablets?" Jade asked. "I've only got ibuprofen."

"That'll do right?" Tori asked, rummaging around her bag. "I take that for my headaches."

"I can't take ibuprofen..." I muttered, my words slurred as my head spun. I'm not wrong, I can't take it while pregnant, I just don't want to tell the reason.

"I've got Tylenol," Robbie spoke up, handing me the box.

"Thank you," I muttered. I've done my research and these are safe to take. Quickly I place two in my hand and swallow them with some water, before putting my head back in my hands to sooth the pain. I could feel Jade's hand on my back, rubbing in a circular motion. I couldn't help but smile into my hands at her attempts at comfort. She's not the most touchy-feely of people, but she's trying and that's all I could ask. The motion is somewhat soothing and my eyelids start to become heavier. Leaning towards Jade, I rest head on her shoulder. I feel Jade snake her arm around my waist to keep me held upright before I let darkness engulf my mind.

* * *

Jade POV

"Is she asleep?" I ask, after not feeling any movement from Cat for a few minutes, unable to move my neck around to properly see her.

"Yup." Robbie piped up.

"Imagine that happening a few weeks ago-" Tori started to speak up. "-you'd have thrown her off your shoulder."

"I would not!" I defended.

"Nah, you wouldn't have let her fall asleep at all," Beck added, laughing with Tori.

"I'm not that mean," I grumbled, feeling my anger levels rise slightly.

"Not anymore, Cat's really got you whipped," Beck replied, adding the 'fwwch' sound effect.

"I am not whipped," I stated.

"Oh, you so are," Tori replied.

"What about you and Andre?" I stuttered, trying to think of a retort.

"What about us?" Andre asked. "Neither of us has changed since we started dating." To emphasise this point, he decided to take Tori's hand, resting them both on the table. Normally I'd react to this with a dramatic fake gag, but since Cat and I do similar things I'm in no place to do it.

"Argh stop ganging up on me!" I yelled, before my eyes went wide, checking I hadn't just woken Cat up.

"There!" Tori said, randomly pointing at me. "You're checking she's okay."

"Because I care about her," I replied bluntly. "Come on Robbie, back me up." I turned to him, being the only one that hadn't added to my teasing yet.

"I...I'm still scared of you." He squeaked, making me roll my eyes.

"Change isn't a bad thing," Beck interrupted with a tone of 'oh so holy wisdom'. "It helps you to grow and develop as a person. You're happier right now, are you not?"

"Yeah, I guess." I shrugged. "She makes me happy."

"And what's wrong with that?" Beck asked.

"What- nothing," I replied.

"Exactly, change is good." I looked away from him and saw Tori whispering something to Andre, a smirk on her lips. "What?" I growled at her.

"Nothing."

"What?" I repeated, my voice darker this time.

"She said she thinks you're in love," Andre admitted.

"Of course I love her," I replied quickly. "I've known her for forever."

"But are you _in love_." She said, emphasising the last two words.

I paused for a moment before bluntly replying. "Yes... I am in love with her."


	13. Chapter 13

2 Days Later

Cat and Tori aren't the most similar people in the world, but they also aren't too dissimilar. Basically, they had enough in common to share a few interests, but weren't exactly 'besties'. One of these joint passions revolved around music, mainly writing it, therefore both girls took the songwriting class this semester. Typically, the two worked well together as Cat, being a pretty good musician across multiple instrument's would help Tori with chord progression and such, and Tori's more logical mind able to sort out some lyrics for Cat.

"_Write a duet about Recovery and hope_." Tori read out the song brief that their teacher had left for them, while she and Cat placed their bags down in their regular practice room. "Recovery over what?"

"Ummm I'm not sure," Cat mumbled, perching down on the piano stool. "I think the teacher wants us to make that up, chose something personal."

"Personal," Tori repeated, pacing slightly. "I don't have much experience with 'recovery'." She sighed. "I've never had to recover from anything."

"What about heartbreak?" Cat piped up.

"Hmm..." Tori hummed, pausing to think. "All my songs are about relationships. Besides, I can't write about that when I'm happy with Andre."

"Me too, with Jadey I mean." Cat smiled, thinking away to herself.

"Nothing dramatic's ever happened to either of us-" Tori started. "So I guess we're gonna have to sing from a place of hypotheticals."

"Yeah..." Cat mumbled, her mind quickly flashing to her the secrets of her life. To the nights out, the manipulative boys, the way she had to escape it all and get away... her hand instinctively moving to rest on her slowly growing baby bump, barely visible under her shirt.

"Have you ever had a panic attack?" Tori asked randomly.

"I... well yeah," Cat replied honestly her mind once again wandering.

"How about we write about that?" Tori suggested. "Things like anxiety I mean."

"I... I like that idea." Cat mumbled, flashing a half-hearted smile towards the half Latina, while her mind flashed back to an all too recent memory...

_It was the night before, she was staying at Jade's house so that they could keep each other company for dinner. Cat has just cooked a simple meal, her signature spaghetti and meatballs, a recipe her Nonna had taught her before she moved to Italy a few years before. The meal, however, wasn't the focus of the story, but it was in fact what happened afterwards. _

_Like normal, Cat and Jade were curled up on the couch watching something or the other, not really paying it's much attention, just appreciating each other's company. While resting her head on Jade's chest, Cat's eyes darted to the TV screen, it was a soap opera or something- a woman giving birth. Her eyes were instantly glued to the glowing box, suddenly glassed over. The woman's cried suddenly collided with her ears, and even though it was merely a woman acting, it all sounded too real. Cat's hand instantly shot to her stomach, where she swore she could feel her baby swimming around, kicking, wanting to get out- of course, she knew it was only a mental trick. But it was too much for her, the screaming, the images of a hospital, a frantic scene, a scene that would be in her future. _

_It was as if an invisible hand clasped over her mouth; an equally ghostly needle of adrenaline piercing her heart, unloading in an instant. She felt her ribs heaving as if bound by ropes, straining to inflate her lungs. Her head was a carousel of fears spinning out of control, each one pushing her mind into blackness. __There was a distance in her eyes as she jumped off of the could, almost tripping over the glass table like she wasn't expecting it to be there. This is when Jade noticed something was amiss. It was hard to miss the loud echos of Cat's breathing- she was practically gasping like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air. "Cat?" Jade called out to her, reaching out for her hand. It was both cold and clammy, something she'd never felt before from the normally warm and smooth girl's hands. Cat frantically pulled her hand away, eyes darting to the screen. As soon as Jade realised what had happened, she grabbed the remote instantly, slamming her hand into the off button, trying desperately to lead Cat back to the couch to calm her._

_It was already too late though, Cat was moving like her brain was demanding the energetic expenditure of an athlete but wouldn't tell her limbs what to do. Her eyes were wild and when Jade eventually made her sit she started rocking, rocking, rocking. She got faster and faster until she exploded into motion again. Suddenly she was taking. Talking like she didn't have enough time to say what she needed to. Her words were crowded together and some were missing. Her sentences were fragmented and her thoughts seemed to jump from one thing to another. All her fears were tumbling out unchecked by her brain, she was in some kind of mental free-fall, unable to analyze things properly. Jade's calming words were bouncing off her like they were hard rain. _

_The next thing the girls knew, they were back on the couch, Cat's fingers were white-knuckled holding onto Jade's sweater and asking Jade if it would all be okay. Jade told her yes. She told her over and over, stroking her back and planting kisses on her face. The storm was sudden, sharp and intense, but it passed quickly. All of Cat's worries had been expressed, and Jade listened with open ears, ready to console Cat when she was calmed. It wasn't Cat's first panic attack, and probably not her last, but Jade being there for her made everything better._

"Cat?" Tori's voice suddenly called out, clicking her finger's in front of the redhead's eyes. "Cat?"

"Heya," Cat said, snapping herself out of her trance.

"You were really out of it just then," Tori told her.

"You know me, always an air-head." Cat smiled, trying to pass it off as one of her normal trances

"Fair enough." Tori shrugged, taking her word for it and pulling up a chair beside Cat. "Got any ideas on how to start this song then."

"Um... well it's gotta be slow and calming I guess if it's about overcoming anxieties." Cat suggested.

"You're the piano genius." Tori reminded, nodding towards the white keys in front of them.

In all honesty, she wasn't wrong. Cat may be thought of as 'dumb' and 'ditsy' but her musical knowledge stretched much further than most, and it was much more than just her vocals. She had a natural gift for music, mainly guitar and piano, with practically perfect pitch and amazing auditory recall. Anything to do with the tonalities, harmonies and just generally which notes went well together, she was your girl, able to hear any dissonance from a mile away. "Hmm." She hummed to herself, mentally picking the opening chords to her song, choosing the appropriate key signature to go with it. After a few moments, she settles on a chord pattern of F minor (F,Ab,C) A flat major (Ab,C,Eb) D flat major (Ab,F, Db) and D flat major (Ab,F, Db) E flat major (Eb,G,Bb), the first four chords being full length with the final two sharing a single bar with 2 beat holds each.

"That sounds good," Tori spoke up.

"Wait." Cat interrupts, playing through the progression again with her left hand whilst raising her right to a higher position, playing the following notes: C Ab Eb Bb Ab G Ab Bb, C Ab Eb Bb Ab G Ab Bb, C Ab Eb Bb Ab G Ab Bb, C Ab Eb Bb Ab G Ab Bb.

**(A/N Now, to any really keen-eyed people here, you may have worked out the song already, and yes this is in fact 'Breathin' By Ariana Grande. For the sake of this story, Cat and Tori wrote it, but in real life, all rights go to Ariana.)**

"Damn you're good at this!" Tori cheered as Cat played her 10-second opening again.

"Why thank you." Cat beamed. She loved writing music, and the praises she received was always a nice bonus from it. Next, she repeated the bass chords again, that being the place where lyrics would eventually go on top. "Wait, it's missing something." She thought aloud.

"Lyrics?" Tori suggested.

"No." Cat shook her head, playing around with the chords, trying inversions and such. "It needs an extra beat or something." She ran over the chords a few more times before a lightbulb lit in her mind. "This!" She announced, playing a G and B in the final half note of the first 3 bar chords.

"How does your mind work like that?" Tori said, taken aback at Cat's ability to just come up with a song like that.

"I dunno." Cat shrugged nonchalantly. "Lyrics time now."

"Oh right." Tori said, pulling her notepad out of her bag to start work on the first verse of the song."

* * *

Not even 20 minutes later, the first verse and pre-chorus were practically finished, lyrics and notes all transcribed onto some sheet music that was now rested on the piano. The chord movement changed slightly as the pre chorus began and the lyrics were something very personal to the girls, both having equal input to the content whilst Tori rearranged them to fit the lines better. It was quickly decided that the song would theme around someone helping them through the troubles, a guide leading the way towards recovery and salvation.

**Tori:** _"Some days, things just take way too much of my energy_

_I look up and the whole room's spinning_

_You take my cares away_

_I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate_

**Cat: **_Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'_

_How do I know if this is fabricated?_

_Time goes by and I can't control my mind_

_Don't know what else to try, but you -."_

"Argh, we really need to think of a way to end that line." Tori sighed.

"But you help me all the time?" Cat suggested.

"_But you help me all the time._" Tori sang. "It's the right amount of beats and kinda rhymes, but it doesn't feel right."

"We could stick with the word 'time' at the end then," Cat noted, scribbling it onto the sheet music.

"But you're with me all the time," Tori suggested, speaking her thought's aloud. "_But you're with me every time._?"

"Every time is better." Cat commented.

"I've got it!" Tori announced. "How about we do _'but you tell me every time' _and then we'll link it to the chorus, making that a message about advice on how to get through it."

"That's perfect!" Cat squealed happily, quickly writing down Tori's idea. "See this is why you're better than me with lyrics."

"What could the advice be?" Tori asked.

Cat started looking blankly at the wall, silently thinking back to the previous day where Jade had been trying to help her through the hysteria. What did she tell her? _"Relax" "gather your thoughts" _and _"breath." _Two of them couldn't work, but maybe that last one would. Still, in silence, she moved her hands onto the piano keys, playing the original chord pattern at a slightly different, faster, rhythm. _"Just keep breathing and breathing and breathin and breathin." _She quietly mumbled, dropping the 'g' after hearing how harsh it sounded as she sang.

"Do that again," Tori told her, and as asked, Cat repeated. "That's... that's pretty good." She admitted.

"Thank you," Cat said, smiling widely at her.

"_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'_

_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'"_

Tori sang, adding on her own part to lengthen the chorus slightly. "How's that?"

"Sound's about right." Cat giggled, happy with their progress.

"Let's get it written down then!" Tori announced, hurrying Cat to write down the song's new addition.

* * *

"That sounds sick!" Andre's voice interrupted the two girl's jamming session a while later. They'd been so amused in their song that they'd completely missed the bell and where almost late for their next lesson, and without Andre coming over to walk Tori to her class, they definitely would have been tardy.

"Oh chiz!" Tori yelled, realising the time. "And thanks- it's not finished yet."

"It sounds good anyway," Andre said, chuckling at his girlfriend's reaction. "You two really work well together."

"Thank you." Cat beamed, folding up the sheet music and placing it in her bag.

"You wanna walk with us to the next lesson?" Tori asked Cat, while she started walking towards the door, where Andre was stood.

"I think I'm going to head to the toilet," Cat said. "So you should start walking."

"Okay Lil'Red." Andre waved to her. "Try not to be late."

"I'll try." Cat smiled, waving back lightly as the two left the classroom.

A few moments later, Cat walked out of the classroom on her own, making her way through the hallways which were filled with other students heading to their next classes. Cat, however, wasn't intending to do that, and instead turned the corner out of the hallway and made her way into the large toilet single stall. Typically this toilet was for teachers, but at that moment Cat didn't care, she just wanted somewhere to be alone with a mirror. Why a mirror? Well to look at herself obviously.

The last hour of the class was a strange one for Cat. She was writing a song about recovery, when she was on a journey that was only just beginning, well one that she was nearly 4 months into actually, and therefore nowhere near the point of recovery. The whole inspiration to the song was about panic attacks, specifically a panic that had happened the night before, manifesting from that previously mentioned journey. After the panic last night, jade carried Cat into the spare room to let her sleep, and she did pretty much as soon as her head hit the pillow, meaning she didn't have much time to think about the shock. Until now, her mind had been seemingly trying to block out the idea that she was pregnant, but it just all came back when she thought back to the attack.

Placing her bag on the ground, Cat walked into the back wall of the large toilet stall, so that she was far enough away from the mirror to see her whole body in it. Next, she removed her jumper, it was quite loose but in all honesty, if anyone was looking hard enough they could see the silhouette of a bump underneath it. Without the jumper, it was quite clear that Cat was with-child, and that's what Cat was worried about. Every day since finding out she was pregnant, she'd tried her hardest to ignore the facts, trying to pretend the symptoms were just a fever and eating too much food. But she needed to stop lying to herself... and worst of all, she needed to stop hiding it. There was no way she was going to be open about it, such as running around the school announcing it, and she didn't think she was quite ready to tell her friends yet, but her parents least needed to know. At this moment in time, they were 5 months into their visit to her brother in Idaho, something they'd been doing for a few years: 5 months with him, 1 month in LA with Cat. That's just how things worked and although Cat hated it, she knew her brother needed them more. As she looked at herself in the mirror, staring at the reflection of her baby bump, she couldn't help but feel somewhat scared... what if they reacted badly, what if they kicked her out... Her mind went back to the multiple arguments her and her father had had over her promiscuous past, the time's he'd yelled at her, practically saying he would disown her. Still... they had the right to know. Mentally sighing and clenching her jaw, she made a mental decision. She would tell them tonight, over the phone, it would give them time to think about it before they visited... but she also decided she needed Jade by her side while she did it. She may have been in a brave mindset to call them, but she doubted she could do it alone.

"I... I hope they don't disown me." Cat whispered to herself, well actually she was whispering to her baby. At this moment, she'd seemingly forgotten all about the class she was meant to be in, and instead, she was mesmerised by this moment with her unborn child. "I...I don't know what I'd do if they did..." Cat continued. "What we'd do. I...It's hard to think about this...I..." She started to mumble and ramble, her hand rested on the small bump. "I'm excited to see you baby... but I'm scared... so so scared. I hope... I hope I do a good job of being a Mom... I don't quite know how I'm going to do that, or even find enough money... See I have no idea what I'm going to do. Argh, I'm just a mess." She paused, trying to collect her thoughts. Taking advice from her and Tori's song; she took a deep breath. "I really should get to class." She sighed. After taking a quick last look in the mirror, she pulled her jumper over her head and lifted her bag onto her shoulder, quickly leaving to make her way to class through the empty corridors.


	14. Chapter 14

After school that day, Jade drove both herself and Cat back to her house, where they were planning on staying together most of the night. This is what they did pretty much every day since they started dating, going to Jade's house until after dinner and either driving Cat to her house before bed or falling asleep in their separate rooms. As soon as they got in, they started going over their lines for a script Sikowitz had recently given them, just sitting together and reading to get a rough idea of the plot. Cat's mind, however, was nowhere near focused.

"Cat?" Jade spoke up, snapping her finger's in front of Cat's eyes, which were currently widely dilated, staring off into nowhere. "Cat it's your line."

"Huh? My line?" Cat asked her mind not yet caught up with her mouth. "Oh, my line!" She said in realisation, looking down at the script in front of her, eyes scanning the words for the line Jade meant.

"It's on the next page." Jade sighed, reaching over to Cat's script and flicking the page over for her.

"Oh right, thanks," Cat mumbled.

"You feeling okay?" Jade asked, looking at her girlfriend in the eyes.

"I... I'm not 100 percent." Cat admitted.

"What's on your mind Babe?" Jade said, taking the scripts and putting them down to give Cat her full attention.

"I've been thinking... and I think I should tell my parents about the baby." Cat gulped. "They're coming over next month for Christmas so they need to know before then."

"A...are you sure?" Jade stuttered. "You told me that they probably won't react well."

"I know... but I still need to tell them."

"It's your choice," Jade told her, reaching forward to hold Cat's hand in her own. "I'll be right here."

"Thank you," Cat said, nodding silently. Slowly, she reached across for her phone, her shaking hand gripping around its pear-shaped casing. Taking a deep breath, she unlocked the screen and started scrolling on her contacts, her tremoring finger hovering over the 'call' button under her mom's name. Closing her eyes for a brief pause, she commanded her mind to click the button. _Brrring. _The artificial noise rang out. Dread suddenly owned Cat, pushing against her like an invisible gale, wishing she could reverse the steps that too her to that moment. _Brrring._ Dread had her lungs, locking them up tight, nothing getting in or out. _Brrring. _Dread set her face like rigour mortis, her teeth locked tight together. But unless it could turn back time, so she had to keep going. _Brr-_

_"Caterina?" _A deep, monotone voice spoke from the phone.

"Dad?" Cat asked back, checking to see if she'd called the right number.

"_Yes, your mother is with your brother, she left her phone with me._" Her dad replied.

"Oh... great," Cat mumbled. In all honesty, she wanted to tell only her mom first. Her Dad would certainly react badly, and Cat was hoping to pass the chore of telling him onto her mother. "I've got something I need to tell you." She added.

"_Can it not wait until later? We're busy-"_

"I haven't talked to you in like a month," Cat replied, an obvious sad tone to her voice. "And this is really, really important."

"_Fine._" Her Dad sighed. There was a shuffle of voice produced from the phone, and a brief conversation, too quiet to be heard properly by Cat and Jade.

At this point, Cat was practically pale white, a predominant tremor across her whole body. Jade gave Cat's hand a reassuring squeeze, reminding her girlfriend that she was still there. "_Hey, Catty_." Cat's mother spoke up, taking the phone from her husband. "_Your dad says you need to tell us something._"

"Y...yes." Cat stammered. "You may want to sit down and be somewhere private"

"_Oh okay." _Cat's mom replied, there was a distant 'Oh my God' from Cat's father, presumably him thinking the worst.

"Sat down?" Cat asked after a few moments.

"_Yes, we've gone to our bedroom_." Cat's mom informed her.

"Good," Cat mumbled. "Okay, right, yeah, well I... I"

"_Hurry up__ Catarina, I told you, we're busy right now_." Cat's father growled through the phone, Cat's mother quickly telling him to shut up.

"I'm..." Cat started again, this time receiving a reassuring smile from Jade. Squeezing her hand, Cat continued. "I'm pregnant." She forced out suddenly. Silence. That is the only way to describe the moment. Cat and Jade were holding their breaths, and Cat's parents had yet to react. The silence seeped into Cat's blood and paralyzed her brain, her pupils became dilated and there her shake worsened. Cat strained her ears to hear any sort of reaction but the silence continued to hang in the air. She wished for them to say something, anything. "Mom, Dad?" She spoke up.

"_How could you_?" Was the response she got, her father's deep voice growling into the phone. "_HOW COULD YOU?_!" He repeated, practically screaming. "_We warned you! We told you this would happen if you continued your whore-ish ways. You-_" He was suddenly cut off, either by Cat's mom or his sudden inability to speak.

"I know- I'm sorry... I..." Cat started to mumbled back, tears brimming in her eyes. Her emotions were not easily hidden on her innocent face. Her pain was evident in the crease of her lovely brow and the down-curve of her full lips. But her eyes, her eyes showed her soul. They were a deep pool of restless gold, an ocean of hopeless grief.

"_Is it too late to get an abortion?_" Her mother spoke up suddenly.

"I don't want an abortion!" Cat replied quickly, shocked that her mother would even suggest that.

"_We don't care if you 'don't want one'._" Her father mocked. "_Is it_ too _late?"_

"I... I think so." Cat spoke back, horrified that they were even suggesting it. "I'm nearly 4 months."

"_FOUR MONTHS?!_" Her father screamed.

"Who's the father?" Cat's mother asked.

"I... I don't know." Cat replied honestly.

"_So you're telling me-_" Cat's father began, a clear tone of anger and disapproval. "_That firstly, you hoed yourself out. Secondly, you got yourself knocked up. And thirdly, you don't even know who's kid it is_?"

"I didn't mean to get pregnant-"

"_I don't give a shit if you meant to or not! The fact of the matter is that you are, and unless you find a way to get rid of it, I want you OUT of my home!_"

"W...what?" Cat stuttered, her words barely leaving her.

"_Don't you think that's a bit harsh?_" Cat's mother asked.

"_We'll be back in a month like we had planned, that will give her enough time to find a new place. We can _barely_ afford the house anyway, and there is no way she _deserves_ it now._" He replied to his wife. "_That's enough time right Cat? It better be, cause that's all the time you're getting. I want your stuff out and I never want to see you again. You're a disgrace to the Valentine name, ever since you started whoreing yourself out."_

"HOW DARE YOU?" Jade screamed suddenly unable to hold back her rage anymore.

"_Who is that you're with? Is that Jade_?" Cat's mother spoke up.

"How fucking dare you disown and treat Cat like that?!" Jade yelled again, ignoring her question.

_"I think we're being very fair, we're giving her a month to find a place."_ Cat's father growled back, honestly thinking he was doing something nice for his daughter.

"Christmas is in a month." Jade spat, trying to talk some sense into him. "You're kicking your daughter out on Christmas. What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"_She's lucky we've put up with her this long. She's had her warnings since all this partying started._" Cat's father snarled. "_She knew what would happen. Goodbye Cat, don't call this number again_."

The call ended and there is a scream from deep within Jade that forces its way from her mouth, exploding with rage as if the final mento had been added to the coke inside of her. Within moments, she grabbed Cat's phone and automatically trying to call him back but a blank beep informed her that he'd just blocked the number. Just as she was about to throw the electronic across the room in a fit of anger, a sharp sob caught her ears.

Cat. She was crying hysterically as if her brain was being shredded from the inside. Emotional pain flowed out of her every pore. From her mouth came cries so raw that suddenly Jade's eyes pricked with tears just listening to her. Cat's floodgates had broken open. So many tears burst forth like water from a dam, spilling down her face. Her chin trembled as if she was a small child, breathing heavier than she ever had before, gasping for air that simply wasn't there. Her throat burned to form a silent scream. Her parents, the ones who had given her life, had disowned her in a time when she needed them the most. She had no home, no other family to go to, and a baby on the way that she needed to support. Of course, she was in hysterics, she had every right to be. Her upper body and shoulders wrack with every sob that forced their way out, chest rising and falling unevenly as she gasps for breath, and she squeezes her eyes shut. Jade couldn't bear it anymore, practically throwing herself towards Cat, holding her in an almost suffocating embrace, as if holding her wasn't quite enough, she had to feel every ounce of herself pressed to Cat. It was as if Cat was a butterfly and Jade the cocoon, keeping her safe within her walls, protected. "It'll be okay," Jade whispered, slowly running her hand's through Cat's hair. "We'll work this out; we don't need them." Yet Cat continued to cry like there was too much raw pain inside her to be contained. She cried like her spirit needed to break loose from her skin, desperate to release an elemental rage on the world. The soothing words of her girlfriend made no difference at all. Cat was beyond all reason, beyond all natural methods of calming. All that could be done was to wait, wait until the initial storm passed, until her mind could naturally find its way to rest.

So they did, and it was about half an hour later when Cat's sobs had subsided to a level that she was almost calm again. Neither girl talked, just sitting there in each other's arms, trying to process what had just happened. Sure, Cat knew things weren't going to go smoothly, but full on abandonment? She didn't think her parents would go that far. They'd never been accepting of her 'life choices' from going to HA, to dying her hair red, to the parties she went to, but Cat always thought they still loved her... the more she thought about it though, the more she realised how wrong she was. Since they moved away to Idaho, they practically tried to drag her along, yelling borderline threats at her when she wanted to stay. Then, when they did move, they were gone for months at a time. At first, she called them every night but then it went to once a week, then once a month, then whenever they needed something from each other (which in all honesty was quite rare). These thoughts had been racing around her mind since the call ended, reflecting on her rocky relationship with them, wishing that things were different, but accepting that they couldn't be.

"I'm not a child anymore," Cat began to whisper to Jade, speaking for the first time since the call ended. "I grew up many years ago. Life was never easy with Mom and Dad, but after they both left it was hell. In some ways, my life improved. I had more freedom, no one judging me, the independence I wanted. But I was like a cut up flower. I had no roots at all, nothing to anchor it to this world; yet was still expected to give its beauty, to flourish and warm the hearts of others. No-one could see my vulnerability; they couldn't see the roots I lacked. I put on a facade of vibrancy, laughter, hugs and kindness to cover it." Her tone was nothing like the 'normal Cat' it was almost distant like the words were coming from a dark corner of her mind, one covered in cobwebs from years vacancy.

"That's very... poetic," Jade replied, whole-heartedly listening to Cat's soulful words.

"Soon, I'm gonna be a mom. Will I do better than them? What will happen when my child reaches does something doesn't agree with? Will I just abandon them too?" Cat added, tears pricking her eyes again. "I want to be everything they weren't and give security and unconditional love. I... I don't want to be like them."

"You're nothing like them," Jade told her, her voice steady and honest. "You accept everyone for everything, you never judge or critique. You've never made fun of Robbie for having Rex, never said a hurtful word towards him even when he says things about you. I've never seen you turn down an opportunity to help anyone, even if you've never talked to them before. Hell, you even stuck by me, even when I started shutting you out. The word 'even' doesn't seem to fathom you, as if there is no reason for you to not give someone the utmost acceptance and respect. You are not like them, you will never be like them." Jade ended her speech with a reassuring squeeze to Cat's hand, leaning forward and placing a small peck onto her soft lips. "You're better than them."

"I've learnt from their mistakes I guess," Cat mumbled as if she were trying to convince herself that there was truth to Jade's words.

"Do you want to go get your stuff now? Or wait for the weekend?" Jade asked.

"Get my stuff?" Cat asked. "From my house? What? Where are we gonna put it?"

"Here silly," Jade said, unintentionally using Cat's phrase to describe people. "At my house."

"To store it until I find a place?" Cat asked, really not understanding what Jade was hinting to.

"Cat... I'm asking you to move in with me." Jade said slowly.

"You... what?" Cat spluttered, her eyes wide with shock.

"I want you to move in here. You need a place to stay and I have one, it makes perfect sense." Jade repeated. "The spare room could be made into a nursery for the baby, and we could share my room, separate beds if you want. We'll be spending more time together, and it'll be a safe place once the baby is born." Jade began to ramble, really hoping that Cat would take up her suggestion. "So what do you say?"

Cat was sat there, staring blankly back at Jade, completely lost for words. Her brain was trying to process a hundred thoughts a second, mentally trying to work out if it was the right thing to do. She searched her mind for something reasonable to say, but to her surprise, her heart answered for her, "I love you."

"I..." Jade started, the wave of shock now colliding into her. "I love you too."

The next thing they knew, Cat had leapt forward and slammed her lips to Jade's and nearly knocked all wind from her lungs, hardly giving her a moment to react. Cat kissed her and the world fell away. Drunk on endorphins Jade's only desire was to comply, to move her hand and rest it below her ear, her thumb caressing Cat's cheek as their breaths mingled. In moments the soft caress has become more firm, Jade savoured Cat's lips and ran her fingers down her spine, pulling Cat closer until there was no space left between them and they could practically feel each other's heartbeats. A kiss like this was a promise of much more to come.

When they broke apart for air, Cat rested her forehead against Jade's and gathered some much-needed oxygen. Jade's smirk told Cat everything and she smiled back, sinking into her hold. "Is that a yes?" Jade asked.

"Yes." Cat replied, staring deep into Jade's icy blue eyes. "Yes, I want to move in with you."


	15. Chapter 15

The next day, the two girls were back at school, deciding they were going to move Cat's stuff into Jade's house on the following weekend. Luckily for them, it was a Friday so they wouldn't wait too long to get everything out... though 'luckily' isn't quite the right word here. Luck would mean that Cat's parents were accepting off her. Luck would mean they weren't in that situation at all. What they had wasn't luck, if anything it was bad luck... but it was their destiny, whether they wanted it to be or not. To Jade, at least, there were some positives to this change, her girlfriend was moving in with her and she'd be able to properly help with the baby... but she still wished it were under better circumstances.

As the two girls walked back into school, Cat was especially melancholy, a big part of her just wanting to run back out of the door and go the whole way home- well to Jade's house at least because she couldn't think of anything worse than going home. Actually, all she could think about _was _her home. How she needed to get her things and never go back, how she'd never spend another night there... She froze while walking down the corridor, feeling bile rise up her throat. "J...Jade." Cat stuttered, pulling Jade's hand back. "You... you're sure you're okay with this right?" She asked.

"I've told you 100 times-" Jade began, getting slightly frustrated with the number of times she'd said this since last night. "I WANT to do this for you. I WANT to help you out. Please Cat, just let me." There was wholehearted truth in her words. Jade was not an overly caring person by nature, but she would do anything for Cat and protect her through any means. You can't save someone from their destiny, from what they were created for; what you can do is make it easier for them, bring more joy, less pain. You can walk some of their path with them, you can protect them from the demons who would end their mission too soon. That's what Jade was doing for Cat, making the bad luck a little less rough. "If you need me to drive you home, to our home, at any point today, I will," Jade added, giving Cat's hand a reassuring squeeze, noting how uneasy her girlfriend was.

"You're the best." Cat gushed. "Love you." She added, going on tiptoe and pecking Jade on the lips.

"Love you too," Jade replied, blushing slightly at the PDA they were showing in the middle of the school hallway.

"Heyyy lovebirds." Tori hollered, walking over to where Jade and Cat were stood.

"Heyyy." Jade replied in a mocking tone.

"Heyyyyyy." Cat added, missing the sarcasm in her girlfriend's voice.

"I've thought of so many lyrics for our song." Tori started, pulling a notepad out of her bag and handing it to Cat.

"That's great!" Cat gushed, pushing all previous thoughts aside as to not worry Tori. "That means we've only got to record backing vocals and other instruments."

"We'll be done way before next week's deadline." Tori cheered, raising her hand to give Cat a high-five.

"Yay!" Cat giggled, doing the same, their hands colliding in the air.

"Well, not that I'm not overjoyed by this-" Jade began in her usual sarcastic tone. "-but I've got to go to my locker."

"Kay kay." Cat chirped. "Have fun." She added, keeping up the act of her sudden good mood. Going onto her tip-toes, Cat kissed her girlfriend on the lips again, but this time Jade lightly placed her hand behind Cat's head, holding her close for a few seconds to deepen it. After they pulled away, Jade flashed Tori a quick smirk, noting that she had successfully made the half-latina feel uncomfortable, before briskly walked away towards her locker.

* * *

By the time song-writing class rolled around, Cat was really in a world of her own. Luckily for her, people were used to her being zoned out a lot and didn't really question it. However, there was a downside as this made Cat feel like no-one cared about her. Adding to her already out of wack pregnancy hormones, and the number of things on her mind, Cat was downright melancholy.

When she walked into her and Tori's practice room, she'd noticed she was the first one their, taking the moment to be alone and stare out of the window to think. The sky was clear and sun bright, yet her mind was clouded with grey. Yesterday had one of the worst days of her life, and she just couldn't stop thinking about it so her mood just ricocheted between low and lower. She had no energy or motivation to get done and of the school work that awaited her. So she'd just been sitting at her desks, thinking till herself till the lessons finished.

After a few minutes, Tori walked in and Cat bounced up from the windowsill, trying to push away her melancholy thoughts to focus on the song, convincing herself that music would be a great distraction. And lo-and-behold it actually was. With Tori already writing the lyrics, the focus was purely around adding more instruments and sounds, recording what they'd done and piecing it all together on computers. Because they were so far ahead, they could take each step slow, Cat being able to teach Tori some of the tips and tricks she'd learnt over the years. It was a good distraction for Cat, and Tori was learning new ways to improve her music so a win-win situation for both girls.

With the vocals, electric drums and piano recorded, the song was practically finished. "Go us!" Tori cheered as Cat pulled the vocal line atop the piano accompaniment in the music editing software on the computer.

"We still need to add the backing vocals and a bass line," Cat noted. "But we can do that next week."

"We're totally gonna get an A on this project!" Tori squealed happily. "Woah, I sounded like you then." She adding, noticing how high her voice went.

"Yeah, hehe." Cat giggled half-heartedly, her mind still not 100 per cent with her.

"Are you okay?" Tori asked, suddenly noticing how un-cat-like the girl was being.

"I-" Cat was about to reply before being interrupted.

"I was bored in my class so I decided to leave it early." Jade's voice suddenly rang out as the dark-haired girl walked briskly into the room. "I don't even think my teacher noticed me leave."

"Hey." Cat smiled weakly, happy to see her girlfriend, but still too downtrodden to even fake enjoyment.

Jade noticed instantly, squinting slightly at Cat, before deciding that, with Tori in the room, now was not the time to get into it. "How's your song going?" She asked instead, walking towards the two.

"It sounds epic," Tori replied. "Cat really knows her way around editing software and instruments for that matter."

"And yet you always get the credit," Jade muttered under her breath, not loud enough for Tori to hear. "Let's hear it then."

"Kay kay." Cat replied, clicking the 'play' button on the computer. Suddenly the song was blasting through every speaker in the room, it was clear that it wasn't quite finished yet, but it still sounded amazing.

**(A/N, once again the song is 'Breathin' by Ariana Grande, but for the sake of this story, Cat and Tori wrote it.)**

**Tori: **_"Some days, things just take way too much of my energy_

_I look up and the whole room's spinning_

_You take my cares away_

_I can so overcomplicate, people tell me to medicate_

**Cat: **_Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'_

_How do I know if this it's fabricated?_

_Time goes by and I can't control my mind_

_Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time_

**Both:** _Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'_

_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, keep on breathin'_

**Tori: **_Sometimes it's hard to find, find my way up into the clouds_

_Tune it out, they can be so loud_

_You remind me of a time when things weren't so complicated_

_All I need is to see your face_

**Cat: **_Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'_

_How do I know if this it's fabricated, oh?_

_Time goes by and I can't control my mind_

_Don't know what else to try, but you tell me every time_

**Both: **_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, I keep on breathin'_

_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

_And oh, I gotta keep, I keep on breathin', mmm, yeah_

**Cat: **_My, my air_

_My, my air_

_My, my air, my air_

**Tori: **_My, my air_

_My, my air_

_My, my air, yeah_

**Cat: **_Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

**Both: **_And oh,_ _I gotta keep, I keep on breathin'_

**Tori:** _Just keep breathin' and breathin' and breathin' and breathin'_

**Both: **_And oh, I gotta keep, I keep on breathin', mmm, yeah_

**Cat: **_Feel my blood runnin', swear the sky's fallin'_

**Both: **_I keep on breathin'_

**Tori: **_Time goes by and I can't control my mind_

**Both: **_I keep on breathin', mmm, yeah."_

As the song ended, Cat and Tori looked at Jade expectingly. She was the first person to hear the song, so her comments would really be taken to heart and any criticism taken somewhat personally. As she opened her mouth, the two other girls held their breaths. "Jesus Christ!" Was all Jade would force out. "That's really, really good, and you know I don't say nice things that often."

"Really?" Cat asked, eyes lighting up.

"Yes really." Jade clarified, smiling slightly at Cat's change in demeanour. It was the little things in life that made Cat happy, encouragement being one of them. "It sounds great."

"Is Jade West complimenting something I worked on?" Tori interrupted a subtle smirk upon her lips.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, I was talking to Cat," Jade said stubbornly.

"Jadey." Cat pushed, giving her girlfriend the puppy eyes, hinting for her to 'be nice'.

"Fine." Jade sighed. "You did well too Tori."

"Why thank you," Tori replied, still slightly smirking.

"Come on, I think it's the actual end of lesson now." She told Cat, ignoring Tori. "I'll walk you to your next class."


	16. Chapter 16

The next day was a Saturday, the perfect time to get all of Cat's things moved out of her home. Personally, Cat didn't think she was ready, but when you're being forced out you're never ready. "It's best to get out as fast as possible." Jade would tell her. "The faster you're out of their house, the faster we can move on with our lives." Her points were certainly valid, which is why Cat gave in and, with the help of a hire-van and half a tonne of cardboard boxes, the two started the move everything out. With Jade's house already being furnished, they wouldn't need to move the bed frame, mattress, wardrobe or draw sets, this sped up the process quite a bit too.

Jade's house only had two bedrooms, which was fine for the two girls, but with an on-coming baby, the spare would soon become a nursery and would need to be filled with the appropriate furniture within the coming months. Because of this, it had been decided, well Jade decided, that Cat would move straight into the master bedroom with Jade and the two of them would share the space. With it being a master bedroom with an en suite and walk-in wardrobe, it wouldn't be cramped at all, the only slight disruption would be to do with sleeping arrangements. Sharing a bed would be a large step forward in the relationship, but since they'd been friend's their whole lives, and until they moved on from just kissing and cuddling, it would be just like the sleepovers they'd had before only with a little more spooning.

* * *

Cat POV

Today I leave home. I leave a place that has been my childhood cocoon. I love this home and the community around it so much that for now I can only bury this pain and hope to deal with it later.

Years ago I imagined leaving home - mother in tears and father being stoic. I would pack a small car with oddly shaped bags and suitcases and head to college. Maybe that's the way it would have been had I not gone down the path I did. They hate the person I've become and how do we get past that? So instead I have to leave with them nowhere in sight, their hands forcing my departure. There's no little car or array of baggage, no college doors in my future, only piles of boxes badly stuffed with my worldly goods. Just Jade and I, sat on my bedroom floor, putting my things into piles of 'keep' and 'bin'.

Most kids leave home with their parents begging them to stay, mine showed the opposite. After seventeen and a half years I'm suddenly nothing to them. They've never done anything like this towards my brother, the precious first born. For him, there was always comfort, support and love at every turn. I guess I never needed the help he did, so they pushed me aside to get on with things myself and then wondered why I didn't turn out how they wanted. Never their 'perfect little girl', instead the got one who 'wanted to waste her time at Hollywood Arts' rather than the Catholic Girls school they'd picked out for me... oh I wish I could tell them that I was dating a girl, it would be one more nail in their coffin. I swear my future children will never be treated like they treated me.

As I declutter my room to pack away what I need, I can't help but go down memory lane, back when I was the happiest. The pictures of me and my brother playing together in the middle of the blazing green meadow in the middle of spring or the necklace my Nonna and I had made from scratch using shells we found on the beach. Looking into the mirror I can't help but see a young girl with pigtails and big brown eyes and baby soft skin. She used to go ride her bike every morning and spend hours in the local park. She used to play dress up using her mother's heels and shirts that fit way too big for her yet she still made it work. She used to be naive due to her lack of attention, even after her brother got worse, she used to not have a care in the world. I want her back. Where has she gone?

Then Jade walks behind me also looking into the mirror, her taller frame meaning she'd in clear sight. She places her hands on my hips and smiled at my reflection. The nostalgic images fade away and I see real-time us as clear as day. I see my bright red hair and her coloured highlights. I see how we've aged together, from innocent young girls to matured teens. I see my pregnant belly and her hands on my hips... maybe life is better now then it was back then. I have Jade- and the baby. We have each other. Being in this place after everything that's happened is so hard and it's taking all my willpower to not breakdown into tears. But Jade's right, I need to move on a fast as I can. I want to erase the negative effects of all this suffering and heal as if it never happened; I want to do that for us.

* * *

After a few hours, my once filled bright pink room was basically empty, its contents now in boxes in the back of a van. All that was left was my bed, wardrobe and desk, nothing in or on them. Bare walls devoid of the usual smiling framed faces and posters, dirt and dust shapes on the floor like templates of the furniture that we took. I unfold a letter I'd stuffed into my pocket before we arrived, a small note to my parents, and leave it on the desk. It doesn't say much, just goodbye. As I turn to depart I feel part of my soul imprint onto the walls, a parting gift from me to this place. Jade gives me a comforting hug, and we walk out of the room and out of the house. The rest of the house is practically unaffected by the change, apart from a few missing photo frames and an empty fridge (as any food would've gone out of date before my parents returned). I leave the key on the table, take one last look around the room and walk out of the front door.

Leaving home is so hard, so many memories, and now all of them balled up in my chest. I run my hand down to the handle, skinny at the edges, thicker in the middle, memorizing the shape. Then I seize it, ramming the door shut. I almost hear the ghost of my childhood whimper as I turn to the sharp breeze of late fall. I have grown up and life moves on, isn't that what they say?

It was time. The time I knew would come sooner or later but dreaded. Slowly, I pulled up the table until it clicked, telling me it was locked. That was it, I'd never go back through that door.

"Let's hope you didn't leave anything behind by accident," Jade whispers, trying to lighten the mood.

"Everything I need... is right here," I replied slowly and quietly, taking Jade's hand in my own and pulling it to rest on my small bump. "Just the three of us."

"Just the three of us." She repeated, lightly pressing her soft lips against my forehead.

* * *

No POV

That night was one of the mixed emotions. It didn't take long to move all of Cat's stuff in, as it mainly consisted of clothes, pillows, books, her guitar, photos and a few stuffed toys. Her books were added to Jade's collection, the photo frames scattered around the house, the walk-in wardrobe was split in half, and most of the stuffed animals and pillows were put in the spare room for the baby for them to play with when they were old enough. In fact, a lot of Cat's things had been placed into the soon-to-be nursery. This was because, despite how old Cat was, her room was still one of a child, and therefore if the baby was a girl it would've been a waste to get rid of so many bright pink decorations.

Now, why mixed emotions? Well, being kicked out certainly has an effect on your mental state and Cat was devastated by it, but she was trying super hard to stay positive. This was made a lot easier by Jade, who'd ordered a large pizza to share between them whilst singing to every song on Jade's music playlist, from Pop songs to Broadway classics. She knew exactly how to cheer Cat up.

When it was time for bed, the two girls had seemingly forgotten about the sleeping situation. Sure, they'd fallen asleep together before, but that was on the couch while watching a movie, not in a proper bed. On sleepovers they'd shared a bed, but once again that was different as they weren't dating then. They'd only been dating around 2 weeks at this point, so sharing a bed was a big step but they were technically already sharing a house so maybe it was a step backwards?- no, it was just included in the 'sharing a house' step. To some, this would be an appropriate time to move forward, and to Cat (who was used to her relationships moving a lot faster than this) they were moving quite slow, but neither girl was ready to go any further. Because of this, they purely got into the bed and fell asleep, the most contact they had was Jade's arm draping over Cat's body while she stretched in her sleep. Nothing more, but that's what they were comfortable with.


	17. Chapter 17

A few more days had passed since then and the girl's relationship was getting stronger by the day. They'd told their friends that Cat had moved in, using the excuse that Cat's parent's simply couldn't afford to pay for the extra house anymore. However, they still hadn't told anyone about the pregnancy, despite her now being only a few days off of 4 months along. Cat was adamant to hide it, thinking that the secret would spread and some of her exes would find her, demanding to know if they were the father. She knew she'd have to tell them at some point, but while she could hide the bump under baggy clothes, it would stay a secret.

The symptoms, however, were something that was harder to hide. Each morning, Cat would wake up and run out of the room to vomit in the en suite toilet. And every day, Jade would be by her side, holding back her red hair and getting her a glass of water. This morning though, Jade wasn't there to hold back her hair, and Cat realised that she wasn't even in the bed with her when she opened her eyes. After grabbing the mouthwash and, well, washing out her mouth, Cat left the en suite and went to go find Jade. First, she checked the spare room, but she wasn't there, so Cat headed down the stairs calling out Jade's name. When there was no response, she started to panic.

"Jadey?" She called out for the 4th time, her voice shaking slightly. Once again, no response, but at this moment she didn't need one because she'd seen where Jade was. She was curled up against the wall, head buried in her knees, a photo frame fallen beside her. Slowly, Cat walked over towards her girlfriend, until Jade's muffled sobs reaching Cat's ears. "Jadey what's wrong?" Cat asked, her eyes showed the kind of gentle concern a mother would have. She laid her hand lightly on Jade's shoulder, lowering herself down beside her.

"I..." Jade tried to reply, her head still in her knees. "I..." She tried again but all that escaped her lips was a stifled sob. Realising that her attempts were futile, she nudged the photo frame with her foot.

Not understanding, Cat reached forward and picked up the frame, studying it for any breaks that may have upset her. Nothing. Just as Cat was about to ask a question, it hit her. The photo was one of Jade and her mother when she was a newborn baby. Jade was practically the spitting image of her mother, the same icy blue eyes, the same sharp eyebrows and the same naturally pursed lips. The reason why Jade was crying beside that photo? Because it was the 10-year anniversary of her mother's death. 10 years. A whole decade. And Cat had forgotten about it.

"Oh my God. It's December 1st." Cat breathed out. "I'm so sorry Jade! I can't believe I forgot."

"It...it's okay," Jade mumbled, slowly looking up from her tight cocoon. Her eyes were dripping with tears. Her walls, the walls that held her up, made her strong had just... collapsed. Moment by moment, they'd fallen. Salty drops fell from her chin, drenching the top of her pyjama shirt. She was trembling. She couldn't stop. It was raw, everything, raw tears, raw emotions.

"No, it's not. We've focused so much on me recently; this is about you now." Cat said slowly, taking Jade's trembling hands in her own. For a few moments, they just sat there in silence, looking into each other's eyes. "She'd be so proud of you Jade," Cat whispered. "Of how much you've done, how amazing you are."

"No, she wouldn't," Jade muttered, the tears still flowing.

"Oh really?" Cat asked, raising an eyebrow. "You're acing your classes, getting lead roles in the school productions, you're helping me bring a child into this world, you're on the right path to get into your dream college, you helped me out when I had nothing and accepted me when no one else would. If that's not something to be proud of, then I don't know what is. Jade, you've done amazing things and have a wonderful future ahead of you, trust me, she would be proud. Hell, I'm proud of you." As she talked, her thumb caressed the back of Jade's hand, speaking with such a soft voice her words calming Jade more by the way they were said that the actual words themselves. "You're so incredibly strong, determined, beautiful, caring, compassionate and- well I could go on about how amazing you are all day, but I think you're starting to get the point."

"T...thank you." Jade stuttered, the flow of tears lessening.

The two sat in silence for a little longer, Jade resting her head on Cat's shoulders until the tears subsided slightly. Like Jade had some for her time and time again, Cat sat by her side with comforting words and actions, reminding Jade that she was there for her and wouldn't leave.

"Do you want to go to her grave today?" Cat asked eventually, using the cuff of her sleeve to wipe away the stray tears from Jade's cheeks.

"W...we have school though." Jade sniffled. "It's a Thursday."

"Since when were you one to stick to the rules?" Cat pointed out. "I'll make you some breakfast and then we'll buy flowers and go visit it; we can miss school for one day."

Really liking that idea, Jade started to smile behind her tears. "What kind of breakfast?" She asked cheekily.

"Whatever you want." Cat smiled back.

"Pancakes?" Jade asked.

"Pancakes it is," Cat repeated, nodding at her request.

* * *

A batch of pancakes and a quick trip to a florist later, the girls were walking up the graveyard pathway. They passed the rows of tombstones that stood erect in silence to the left and right, in front and behind, like a sea of the dead. Some were crumbled with the weathering of centuries, some were smooth marble with new black writing and laid with floral tributes. Most though, were overgrown and unkempt, for now, even their mourners had joined them under the soil. Without thinking, Jade lead Cat through the rows, the journey engraved into her mind until they reached the destination: a slab of black granite that stood out amid the regimented rows of grey, only broken occasionally by white. Jade slowly bent down and lay the roses down, her mom's favourites. She was at eye level with the intricate gold lettering of the stone 'Elizabeth Alice West' it read out.

Jade remembered the first time she'd been there all those years ago, how she'd cast her young eyes to the freshly dug soil. Mommy was down there and God had taken her. What the hell did he need her for? The priest said he "Called her home" with a dopey look on his face. She already had a home and Jade damned God for taking her. What was left for her now? Home with Dad. Dad who didn't even know how to break a smile or utter a kindness, Dad who was already buried back into his word to hide all emotions. To Jade's young mind, God took the wrong parent. She remembers kicking at the soil feeling the only love she'd ever known drain right through her boots and be replaced by ice. Luckily, things got better and her father did eventually step up and look after her, but even that was short-lived as he was always away for work and at age 16 he brought her her own house and left completely to go to Europe. Still, things could have been worse.

Bringing her thoughts back to reality, she sat down in front of the gravestone and began to speak "Hey Mom," was all she said to begin with. She knew she was talking to bones, yet here was the only place she felt close enough to her to talk and have it mean something more than just thinking it. And just maybe she did hear her, maybe God carried her voice into the heavens. One day she would find out, but until then she had a life to live. "I've brought Cat with me. You remember Cat right? She's been my friend since Kindergarten. I've told you about her a few times." She continued, smiling to Cat, motioning for her to sit beside her. "Well, we're dating now, she makes me happy. I... I hope you're okay with me dating a girl... you'd better be because I really like her. I love her even."

"I love you too," Cat whispered, not wanting to interrupt but needing to tell her it back.

"I haven't visited in a while," Jade admitted. "I've been busy; I'm so sorry." She began to sniffle, wiping away the tears on the back of her hand. "We've got a baby on the way." She added. "I'm not pregnant, but Cat is. I'm really excited, but worried, and I know she is too." She started talking as if Cat wasn't there, completely in a trance. "I hope I'm a good Mom, Cat will be, she's amazing with kids... kids are scared of me." Her voice trailed away slightly. "You were a good Mom, from what I can remember, I hope I'm as good as you."

"You will be," Cat whispered again, feeling as if she were listening in on a private conversation. "You'll be great."

"T...thanks," Jade replied, her mind catching up with her mouth as she realised what she'd just said.

Within moments, Jade was back into her trance, rambling away to her mother. She told her about school projects, about why she and Beck broke up, about her Dad, about her friends and the colleges she'd applied to for the next year. It was about half an hour later when she'd run out of things to say, her hand tightly entwined with Cat's (who'd also talked to Jade's mom for a short while). Shortly after Jade finished her speech, they sat together in silence, just thinking and enjoying the peace.

"Jade..." Cat spoke up suddenly, still trying to mentally process if she should say the words in her mind. "The baby... if it's a girl..." Her words began to fade as she shook her head, regretting opening her mouth and interrupting the silence.

"If it's a girl?" Jade repeated, wanting to know what Cat was trying to say.

"You might say no..." Cat restarted, mentally pushing herself to continue, "but... if it's a girl... should we call it Ellie?"

"Ellie? Why're you asking me this right now?" Jade asked, genuinely confused as to why Cat would bring this up now. Sure, she had some random thoughts sometimes, but even she had some sort of filter.

"Ellie, short for Elizabeth." Cat clarified.

"Again, why are you- Oh." It was as if the metaphorical penny had dropped. Sat a mere metre away from her mother's golden name, the answer was literally right in front of her. "You want to name the baby after my Mom?"

"It's totally up to you, I just thought it would be nice," Cat added, her hand tightening around Jade's out of nerves.

"I...I'd like that." Jade smiled, squeezing Cat's hand back. "Ellie Valentine."

"Ellie Valentine-West." Cat corrected. "Has a nice ring to it don't you think."

"If it's a girl, then I'd love for that to be her name," Jade told her, slowly leaning in and kissing Cat's forehead.

"Can I tell you a secret?" Cat asked and Jade nodded. "I think it is going to be a girl. Mother's instinct."

"I hope it's a girl," Jade replied.


	18. Chapter 18

The Next Day

Being a Friday meant that the girls had to go to school; despite wanting another day to themselves. So, as normal, Jade drove them both to school. "You really need to get a license," Jade mumbled tiredly as she put the keys in the ignition. "So I can get a few extra minutes of sleep before being forced to school."

"I have my license," Cat told her nonchalantly, looking down at her phone from the passenger seat.

"You what?" Jade announced in shock, slamming her foot on the break so hard she nearly pulled the car into an emergency brake. "You're telling me that I've been driving you to school for a year and you have a license?!"

"You never asked." Cat shrugged. "And I like the company."

"You're so driving us in tomorrow," Jade grumbled. "And home tonight."

"Argh, fine." Cat moped. "You just want a break from driving." She added.

"That's exactly what I want," Jade replied, fighting back a smirk.

"Meanie," Cat mumbled, crossing her arms over her chest childishly.

"Yet you love me anyway." Jade reminded playfully.

"You're still a meanie." Cat pouted.

"What're we gonna tell everyone at school?" Jade spoke up randomly, seeing that that conversation wasn't going anywhere.

"About yesterday?" Cat asked. "'Cause I thought we'd just tell the truth."

"I don't want Tori knowing that I have emotions," Jade grumbled.

"You have no reason to dislike each other since you and Beck broke up, ya know." Cat reminded her.

"Yeah, but it's fun to mess with her, and she does it back to me- which gives me an idea," Jade said, a smirk re-appearing on her lips.

"Eeek." Cat squealed. "What is it?"

"I was just imagining Tori's face when I tell her where we were, she doesn't know about my mom, she'll be mortified." Jade began to chuckle to herself.

"That's not funny!" Cat scolded lightly.

"Let me have my fun." Jade rolled her eyes.

"You're being really mean," Cat growled.

"And you're being really defensive." Jade shot back.

"Well, I'm pregnant so my emotions are out of whack. What's your excuse?!" Cat snapped suddenly.

"Woah." Jade breathed out, shocked by the outburst, still trying to focus on driving.

"Oh my gosh!" Cat gasped, realising that she'd just yelled. "I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay," Jade replied, shaking her head. "I shouldn't have called you 'defensive'."

"I'm still sorry," Cat mumbled, looking down at her lap.

"So am I," Jade replied, stopping at the red light and quickly leaning across to place her hand over Cat's. "I love you, remember that."

"I love you too." Cat smiled back, looking up at her girlfriend.

* * *

As they walked into school, Jade automatically realised how grateful she was that Cat had suggested they take the day before off. Because it was December now, the halls were covered in their usual Christmas decorations, and she would not have been able to deal with all that happiness on a day that brought her so much misery. The number of bright colours and festive images was already giving her a slight headache, but she would have probably gone on a rampage the day before. Cat, on the other hand, giggled joyfully at the sight of Christmas lights, candy canes and tinsel, grabbing a loose piece and dropping it over her shoulders like a scarf.

Shaking her head at her girlfriend's antics, Jade lead Cat over to her locker, and as soon as Tori had seen the couple, she'd walked over and asked where they'd been. Her tone was one of slight teasing, thinking that the two had ditched to go on a date or something. Despite the discussion in the car ride, Jade couldn't resist but to be blunt with Tori to get her full reaction.

"We went to my Mom's grave," Jade mumbled, using her actress skills to make tears suddenly brim her eyes. "Yesterday was the 10-year anniversary of her death.."

"Oh my god!" Tori gasped in complete shock, half because of the news and half because Jade was showing emotions in front of her. "I'm so sorry, that's horrible. I... I'm here for you."

"T...thanks." Jade stuttered, pretending to act a lot sadder than she really felt.

"Jadey," Cat mumbled, squeezing at her girlfriend's hand to get her to stop.

Because she was already satisfied with Tori's reaction, Jade followed Cat's request to dial back the tears. "Don't go around telling people, please?" Jade asked Tori, half acting half serious. "It's enough that you know."

"I won't, I promise." Tori smiled lightly.

"Girls." A voice interrupted - Sikowitz. While they were talking, they hadn't noticed the man with the video camera galloping over to them.

"Oh great," Jade grumbled, knowing what was about to happen.

"Drive by acting challenge." Sikowitz continued, ignoring Jade's words completely, just shoving the camera in her face. "Jade, you are Cat. Tori, you are Jade. Cat, you are Tori. Go."

"Wait, what's our prompt?" Cat asked.

"No prompt. Go." Sikowitz repeated.

"Get that camera, OUT of my face." Tori snapped, sharpening her tone and narrowing her eyes to unleash her inner Jade.

"Jadey-" Jadey purred, physically making herself smaller to be like Cat. "Don't be a meanie." She batted her eyelashes at Tori.

"You're lucky you're cute." Tori softened, smiling lightly as the goth would do to Cat

"I feel like I'm third wheeling," Cat spoke up, looking very awkward like Tori normally would when Jade and Cat flirted with each other.

"Good," Tori smirked, treating Cat like Jade would treat herself.

"I'm getting bored!" Sikowitz interrupted.

"Well, it's a stupid exercise!" Tori spat, staying in-role as Jade by speaking her mind.

"I think it's funny." Jade giggled, mimicking Cat's exaggerated breathy laugh. "Like how, one time, my brother-"

"Anyway-" Cat cut interrupting Jade's story, similar to how others interrupted her when she did it. "We have a class to get to." This line wasn't really in character, but a more indirect way of telling Sikowitz to wrap this up.

"Fine." Sikowitz sighed, turning off the camera. "I was getting very bored, you lot already know how to act like each other well."

"Cat barely did anything," Tori spoke up, forgetting to turn off Jade's lack of filter.

"You have like no personality, she couldn't do anything." Jade shrugged, automatically back to her old ways.

"Hey!" Tori retorted.

"She's right," Sikowtiz added.

"Double hey!"

"I'm off now!" Sikowitz announced, skipping away quickly to avoid the situation.

"I do have a personality," Tori replied adamantly.

"Suuure," Jade replied, dragging out the word as she walked away.

* * *

That wasn't the only Sikowitz interaction the girls had that day because he was, somehow, their teacher. A few minutes before the end of the lesson, the crazy teacher had an announcement. "A production." He told his class. "There is no need for auctions as I have picked out your roles, you also can not say no or else I will fail you for this class."

"What?" The class yelled simultaneously.

"Most of you don't even have parts." Sikowitz dismissed.

"I'm not sure whether to want a part or be glad if I don't get one," Tori commented.

"You can be both as you are Jade's understudy!" Sikowitz told her.

"Yes!" Jade smirked, having the satisfaction that she'd beaten Tori at something.

"What is the play about?" Andre spoke up.

"Feel free to create an image in your heads while I speak." Sikowtiz began, standing on the raised floor at the front of the classroom. "Think of a teenage girl, lost within the busyness of the world, nowhere to go and no one to turn to. She has a choice to make: live an honest life and find her way out of the bad situation, or do whatever possible and ignore the consequences. An angel and devil appear to guide her. She chooses the path of evil, the devil's taunts too strong to ignore, and suddenly she's trapped. When all seems lost, the angel appears to take her back to the right place."

"And all ends happily ever after," Jade mumbled, not loud enough for Sikwitz to hear.

"I had to write it for the local Middle school, to remind kids to stay on the right path or something like that." Sikowitz dismissed. "And now for the cast. Jade, you are the lead girl, Tori the understudy. Cat you are the angel. Beck you are the devil. Andre, Robbie, Gabriella and Molly-" He listed 2 of the 'shruggers'. "You have smaller parts, basically being the reason Jade's life goes down-hill due to the Devil." As Sikowitz finished summarising, he jumped to his feet and handed each of the listed kids a script. "The rest of you; better luck next time."

"I'm an angel." Cat giggled, looking over the script. "With a lot of lines." She added, gulping.

"You will be performing on the last day of the semester, Friday after next-" Sikowitz began.

"You're giving us two weeks?! We can't do a play in two weeks!" Jade interrupted.

"I have faith in you," Sikowtiz replied.

"A lack of faith was not what I was worried about, to be honest," Jade muttered.

"Then everything is good is it not?" Sikowitz replied.

"Arghhhhh," Jade grumbled, slumping back into her chair.

* * *

Needless to say, the group of teens spent about 2 hours after school in the Black Box Theatre, running over the script to get a feel for the play they'd just been forced into. It was going to be a lot of work and take up a lot of their time, so it was best to get started as soon as they could. They would have stayed longer if it wasn't for Cat falling asleep, laid across three chairs in the back row of the audience seating, meaning that Jade needed to drive her home. The goth hadn't missed the irony from their earlier conversation about how Cat was meant to be the one driving, but Cat just looked so happy and peaceful in her sleep and she couldn't bring herself to wake her. The pregnancy was making her really tired all of the time and Jade dreaded how it would make her feel as she got closer to the due date, but for now, it was manageable and she was sure Cat would be okay.


	19. Chapter 19

2 Days later, a Sunday, the usual HA Gang are hanging out at Tori's house, just looking for something to pass the time. "Why do we always hang out here?" Jade groaned, sat on the couch unconsciously playing with Cat's red-hair while said girl's head was rested on her lap. "There's nothing to do."

"We could play cards?" Tori suggested, nodding to the discarded desk of cards on the table.

"We've already done that for an hour," Cat spoke up, very much enjoying resting her head on her girlfriend's lap.

"We could go over our lines again?" Tori offered, picking up the script for Sikowitz's play.

"No way, I'm not sitting there listening to lot you read that thing again," Rex added, voicing Robbie's disinterest in the idea.

"Karaoke?" Andre suggested.

No one objected, but no one agreed. So once again they were sat to ponder over another option. "Fine," Tori grumbled. "I'll Google it."

"Like Google is gonna have any good ideas," Jade commented.

_"'Go_ on a walk.'" Tori read out. "Nope. '_Clean your room.' _What? No. '_Take a bath.' _Who's doing these things because google tells them?"

"I'd like to hope you bathe Tori." Beck joked.

"Oh shut it you." Tori joked back, continuing to scroll through the list. "'_Wash your windows.' _You were right Jade, these ideas are stupid."

"Told ya so." Jade interrupted.

"I didn't think they'd be that dumb. Who is bored and then decided to clean their- actually my windows are dirty." Tori observed, her words trailing.

"No window cleaning." Andre cut in. "There has to be something we can do."

"How about Truth or Dare?" Robbie spoke up.

Looking up at him, the group simultaneously shrugged in the agreement of 'yeah, that'll do'

"That's probably the smartest thing you've ever said," Rex said to Robbie... well said to himself really.

"Who's going first then?" Tori asked.

"I have an app that can help us chose!" Robbie spoke up, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"I'll go first." Andre interrupted so that they didn't have to sit there for 5 minutes until the app eventually loaded and stuff like that. "Um... Beck-" He started, looking to the boy on his left. "Truth or dare?"

"Let's start this off with a dare," Beck said bravely, his face blank but slightly smug.

Andre paused for a moment to think. "Tori, you got any cinnamon?" He asked.

"In the end cupboard," Tori replied, pointing into the kitchen.

"Perfect." Andre rubbed his hands together. "You've heard of the cinnamon challenge right?" he said to Beck.

"Oh, chiz," Beck swore, knowing that Andre wanted him to eat a spoonful of the fine-powered spice. Needless to say, a few moments later, Beck was spluttering hugely before drinking water straight from the tap to get liquid into his very dry mouth. "That was cruel." He told Andre when he finally regained the ability to talk without coughing up more spice.

"You chose dare." Andre shrugged, laughing to himself.

"Fine," Beck grumbled. "Robbie, truth or dare."

"Truth." Robbie replied quickly, ignoring the 'boring' comment from Jade.

"You gonna get rid or Rex when you go off to college?" Beck asked, really hoping that he would. Rex is barely accepted at HA, but that's because it's a performing arts school full of misfits. College kids would chew him up and spit him out if he brought Rex with him.

"Probably, he's got his own plans." Robbie shrugged as if what he was saying was normal and Rex was a living-breathing boy or something.

"No way am I going off to whatever nerdy school you get into, I'm staying here to sneak into the Northridge parties." Rex piped up.

"Sure you are," Jade commented.

"Cat." Robbie started, moving attention back onto the game. "Truth or dare?"

"Ummm." Cat pondered her options. "Truth."

"What's your biggest secret?" Robbie blurted out suddenly.

"Oh." Was all Cat could reply with for the first few moments. Her brain was suddenly spinning, she had so many secrets: the pregnancy, being kicked out of the house, her past in general was somewhat hidden from everyone. Of course, she couldn't just blurt out these secrets, even if it was a 'truth'... so she did the opposite and lied. "I don't have any secrets." She shrugged, pulling out her best blank poker-face.

"Everyone has a secret," Tori said.

"Not me," Cat replied, shrugging. "I'm an open book." She lied, though, from her general persona, the statement was somewhat believable. From afar, Cat did seem like an open book, it was only when you got close when you realised that the book was written in a foreign language.

"Fine." Robbie sighed. "You want another question or are you gonna do a dare?"

"I'll do a dare actually," Cat replied, deciding that she might not be able to find a way out of another question.

"I've gotta think of something now," Robbie replied, pausing.

"I've got an idea," Rex spoke up, perched on Robbie's arm. "It involves kiss-"

"Robbie if you don't put that thing away, I will throw it out of the window." Jade cut in, narrowing her eyes at the boy.

Quickly, Robbie removed the puppet from his hand and pushed it away from him, knowing that Jade wouldn't go back of her word. "Sing with a mouthful of water." He spoke up. "That's your dare."

"Your brain is a weird dude," Beck spoke up, wondering how Robie thought of that.

"Kay kay," Cat said, grabbing a glass of water from the table and filling her mouth. A few moments later, she began singing, well more like gurgling and spluttering water. It was quite funny to watch until she was practically choking, unable to stop laughing herself while the water was still in her mouth.

Jade, the only one who wasn't amused by her girlfriend nearly drowning herself, shoved the glass under Cat's mouth, making her spit out the liquid while she continued to cough, splutter and laugh. "Why would you keep the water in your mouth?" Jade asked, wide-eyed.

"I didn't want to get water on the floor." Cat shrugged, wiping the water from her mouth. "My turn to ask." She said, circling back into the game. "Tori, truth or dare."

"Truth, I don't wanna drown," Tori replied

"What was the most embarrassing moment of your life?" Cat asked.

"Oh, God." Tori blushed. "Remember when I sang the national anthem and got dragged across the stage by a dog?" She asked the groud.

"Remember? That was the best day of my life." Jade retorted.

"Well... that," Tori said, shaking her head to herself while her face turned a deep red hue. "I guess it's my turn to ask Jade. Truth or dare."

"Dare. I'm not a chicken." Jade said, looking Tori straight in the eyes.

Without missing a beat, Tori replied with her dare. "Post something nice about me on your Slap page."

"No way." Jade shot back, crossing her arms over her check stubbornly.

"I thought you said you weren't a chicken," Tori replied, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," Jade growled, pulling out her phone and going onto her TheSlap page. "What should I say?"

"Something from your heart," Tori smirked.

"Arghhhh." Jade sighed loudly. "_Tori has nice hair_." She typed in. "That enough?"

"Thank you." Tori smiled, absent-mindedly twirling her hair around her finger. "Add one more thing."

"_Tori has nice hair and I like how it distracts me from her face," _Jade smirked while typing.

"Hey!" Tori yelled.

"Jadey, be nice," Cat said, giving her girlfriend her signature puppy-dog eyes look.

"Fine," Jade grumbled, still smirking slightly. "I'll delete that last part... posted."

A few more rounds pass and the teens begin to run out of questions to ask and dares to do. Just as their about to wrap up the game, it was Jade's turn to ask Robbie a question. "Truth or dare?" She asked.

"Um..." Robbie gulped, realising that any dare coming from Jade would be harsh, she'd already made Andre send all of his contacts an innuendo-filled text-message and made Beck kiss Trina (who had been upstairs the whole time). He'd already said 'Truth' twice in a row though, so he was left with only one option. "Dare." He sighed, preparing himself for Jade's dare.

"Eat the grossest thing in Tori's cupboard," Jade said curtly.

"Please don't tell me you have any blue cheese or raw eggs," Robbie muttered, putting his head in his hands out of regret.

"No... but I do have a can of sardines." Tori told him.

"Ewwww." Cat squealed.

"Why would you have sardines?" Robbie asked, hating his situation more and more with each passing second.

"Trina says they have some kind of skin rejuvenating properties, but she won't go near them 'cause of the smell." Tori shrugged, walking over to the kitchen cupboards and pulling out a small tin. "Have fun." She giggled, handing it to Robbie.

"Jade, you're just cruel for making me do this," Robbie spoke up, looking down at the tin in his hands.

"Oh, I know," Jade smirked. "Enjoy."

"Everyone hold your breath," Andre spoke up as Robbie opened the can. The putrid smell of fish permeates the air of the room, leaving the teens trapped in its brain-numbing disgustingness.

"Eewww," Tori spoke up, wafting the smell away from her as Robbie slowly picked up one of the fish, it slipping through his fingers instantly and back into the tin.

While the others were watching in disgust and curiosity, Cat was miles away. A side effect of pregnancy is a heightened sense of smell, which in turn tends to trigger nausea, something that was hitting her like a metaphorical truck to the face. The air passing up her nostrils was a truly horrendous stench. She gagged. She was trapped in the vile aroma of sewage. Her eyes begin to water and she tried to hold her breath, but that only lead to her having to take deeper breaths after. Around her, the others were laughing at Robbie, who was desperately trying to keep the silverfish down his throat, but Cat wasn't paying the slightest bit of attention to him. The nausea clawed at her throat, and she tried to force down the bile, but it was too late. She couldn't take it anymore, springing to her feet and running out of the room. Without a second passing, Jade jumped up and followed her out of the room.

"Is she okay?" Tori thought aloud as the two sprinted out of the room and down the hallway.

"I think she's gonna be sick," Andre spoke up.

"I might join her," Robbie added, the harsh taste of sardines still on his tongue.

The sound of Cat throwing up confirmed Andre's statement, followed by Jade's words of "It's okay Cat, I've got you, it's okay."

"I hope she made it to the toilet." Tori cringed.

"Should we check on her?" Beck asked.

"I'll go." Tori decided, standing up and walking out of the room, the same direction Jade and Cat had left in. "Cat? You okay?" She asked as she rounded the corner, entering the bathroom. To her relief, Cat had, in fact, made it to the toilet and was now knelt in front of it with Jade holding back her hair, her stomach empty but still making her dry-heave.

"Could you get her a drink?" Jade asked Tori, carefully rubbing her hand over Cat's back.

"S...sure." Tori stuttered. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's just got a stomach bug." Jade lied. "She'll be okay in a minute."

* * *

With Cat's sudden wave of nausea, the game was over and the teens went back to having nothing to do. Keeping up the lie that it was only a stomach bug, Jade and Cat had managed to convince everyone that Cat was okay, but secretly Tori was weary. Despite this, the half Latina took their word for it and kept her questions to herself.

Having nothing else to do, the teens resorted to a new topic of conversation and, somehow, they ended up talking about their futures. You see, the teens were all Seniors, meaning that next year they were off to college. They talked about the school's they'd applied for and where they wanted to go. Tori and Andre had their hearts set on the UCLA Independent Music Production course, Robbie wanted to go to New York, Beck had chosen to opt out of further education to pursue acting, Jade was heading for USC of Cinematic Arts, and Cat... well Cat wasn't sure she could even go to college. With a baby on the way, was college really an option? Of course, she lied and told everyone she wanted to go to FIDM to study fashion design, but without her parent's support to help look after the baby, she knew there was no way she could go to college. Her future was something she needed to sit down and think about, but for the meanwhile, she sat back and listened to her friend's dreams and goals, wishing she could be like them.


	20. Chapter 20

The Next Day

The song Cat and Tori had written for their Songwriting class had been due last Friday and today, being the following Monday, was the day they'd be getting a grade back. Sat in class, eagerly waiting for their grade, the two girls were practically bouncing in their seats. "I'd like to see the two of you to see me after class." The teacher said, handing back two identical comment sheets, faced down.

"Oh god, that's not good." Tori gulped. "What could we have done? We didn't copy the song from anywhere subconsciously did we?" She began to panic, unable to turn the sheet over to see what horrible grade she must have gotten. "Now I know how Andre felt when he got that 'D' last Christmas. Oh my-

"OH MY GOD!" Cat yelled suddenly, reading over her comment sheet. "Tori we got an A-plus!"

"We what?" Tori asked, turning her sheet over and reading the same thing as Cat. "What the- even Andre has only ever got A's. I've never heard the teacher give anyone an A plus!" She announced.

At this point, other students started to gather around. hearing the news and wanting to see if it was true. "I've heard that the last time he gave an A-plus was to a kid who became an actual songwriter." One kid commented.

"I heard that too." Another noted.

"There's gotta be some sort of mistake," Cat mumbled.

"No mistake, it was truly a great song." The teacher praised, walking over to them.

"Why did you want to talk to us after class then?" Tori asked.

"I may as well do it now actually." The teacher decided. "I want the two of you to perform your song at this year's Christmas Kick Back." He said. "I've been looking for someone to fill the final spot of the evening."

"Really?" Tori and Cat responded in shock. Normally a lot of students performed, but the being the final act of the night was highly praised and anticipated on the night. On top of this, it was rare for a teacher to put students forward to perform, let alone to sing their own songs.

"So, are you two up for it? It's the Saturday after next remember." The teacher asked.

"Sure!" Tori and Cat replied together.

"That's great. I'll add you to the list." The teacher smiled, walking back over to his desk.

"First Sikowitz's play next week on Friday night and now this on the Saturday-" Cat began. "What's happening with all the teachers suddenly?"

"I think something's telling you to stay with the performing arts, rather than go to college for fashion design next year," Tori suggested.

"Fashion design?" Cat asked, before remembering the lie she'd told over her future. "Oh right, yeah maybe."

"We've certainly got a busy 2 weeks on our hands," Tori added.

* * *

...And boy did they. It seemed that every minute of free time was sucked into preparations for the two performances. Every lunchtime for the next 2 weeks Cat and Tori practised their song, teaching some other students to play the instrumental backing and every evening after school they would spend hours running through the play, putting together costumes and creating props and sets. 2 weeks is not a lot of time to do a whole production, no matter how good the actors were so they were completely worked off of their feet, barely having any time to dwell in the upcoming festivities.

By the time it was the night before Sikowitz's play, they were already exhausted, but they needed to stay alert as it was the final night of practice before the main performance. Due to the time restrictions, this was the first run-though Cat would have with her angel costume, a tight white straight drop dress with a velcro patch on the back to attach two large wings, and a golden raised halo on her head. Nothing out of the ordinary for a stereotypical angel, so no one thought there would be any problems with getting it so close to the show. There was one however, it was_ tight straight drop dress. Tight. _With the play already commencing on stage to start its final run through, Cat was getting dressed in a small room backstage alone, using the time before her onstage cue. She had no intention of going onstage though; not with how she looked.

She didn't look bad, not at all, she looked beautiful and elegant. The reason why Cat didn't like how she looked? Because she was very obviously pregnant. Very obviously. Her, now 4 months pregnant, belly was stretching the fabric of the dress, adding an uncomfortable amount of pressure around her torso to the point where she could barely breathe. Her bump was too big to pass off as bloating now, and she was struggling to hide it behind her baggy school clothes, but this dress was like a neon sign flashing saying 'PREGNANT'. She couldn't leave the dressing room like that, and she couldn't go onstage without the costume. Panic levels started to rise and she couldn't breathe. Deciding that the dresses restrictions weren't helping, Cat quickly pulled it off of herself and threw it to the ground, leaving her stood there in only white tights, bra and underwear. Her breaths were still too fast but she was trying hard to keep them regular while she worked out what to do next.

"Cat?" She suddenly heard her name from outside of the changing room. "It's Tori, you're about to miss your cue onstage." She told her.

"Oh, chiz," Cat mumbled to herself. "I'll... I'll be out in a minute." She called back.

"What's holding you up?" Tori asked through the door.

"My... um... my costume doesn't fit." Cat lied.

"I'll help you put it on then," Tori replied, pushing the door open slightly.

It was at this moment that Cat really wished the backstage dressing rooms had locks, but because of an 'incident' during a Freshman play last year, where a boy locked himself in and missed his cue, the locks had been removed. "I'm in my underwear." Was all Cat could think of saying to stop Tori from walking in.

"Okay," Tori replied nonchalantly, completely unfazed as she continued to push the door open. To be honest, that was the response Cat was expecting as they'd gotten changed in front of each other quite a bit during plays or sleepovers. At this point, Cat was completely frozen in place, stood in the middle of a changing room in her underwear. Tori was about to find out her secret and there was nothing she could do. Without even looking at Cat, Tori walked over to the discarded dress and picked it up off of the ground. "Is it too big or too small?"

"It... it..." Cat stuttered, her breathing still quick as she prepared herself for Tori's oncoming reaction.

"You okay C-" Tori started, looking at the red-head the words unable to finish leaving her lips. She was suddenly wide-eyed and at a loss for words, looking straight at Cat's baby bump. Cat, at this point, was almost violently shaking in her place, trying desperately to act calm and, obviously, failing miserably. A few moments had passed and Tori had yet to say anything, her eyes focused on Cat's stomach. Subconsciously, Cat's arms snaked down her body to cover her stomach, wanting to snap Tori out of her trance and stop her blank staring. "Cat... Cat are you pregnant?" She whispered, barely loud enough to be audible. Normally, she wouldn't ask something this bold, but she'd been seeing some of Cat's symptoms for a while by then, and all the pieces were sudden falling into place in her mind, backing up her statement.

"Please don't tell anyone." Cat replied quickly, shaking as she spoke.

"Oh Cat." Tori said, rushing over to the smaller girl and wrapped her arms around her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I'm embarrassed. Please don't tell anyone." Cat repeated, shocked by Tori's reaction.

"I won't, I promise," Tori said, stepping back. "Does Jade know?" She asked.

"Yeah." Cat nodded, grabbing her over-sized hoddie from the dresser and pulling it over herself for some cover. "She's been so supportive."

"She better be or I'd go slap some sense into her." Tori smiled weakly. "If... if you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?"

"Four months," Cat mumbled.

"How did I miss this for four months?!" Tori replied in shock.

"Y...you're okay with this?" Cat asked in shock.

"You're one of my best friends Cat, I could never think badly of you. Plus, you'll be a great mother." Tori smiled supportively. "I'm slightly offended you kept it from me though."

"I... I was scared and embarrassed, I'm still embarrassed." Cat admitted.

"What the hell is taking you so long?" Jade grumbled as she stormed into the changing room, the door slamming closed behind her. "You totally missed your cue and now we've gotta restart the whole play." She started to rant.

"I told Tori about the baby." Cat replied quickly, cutting her off.

"You did? You better be alright with it Tori or I swear to God I'll-"

"I'm happy for her, for both of you." Tori interrupted. "You'll be great parents."

"Thank you, Tori." Cat smiled, wrapping her arms around Tori. "I was so scared that you'd freak out of something."

"I would never do that to you," Tori reassured, hugging Cat back for a few seconds before pulling away.

"This is something I never thought I'd do, and we shall never speak of this again-" Jade began, slowly walking over to Tori.

"What're you-" Tori began before being cut off by Jade who had suddenly wrapped her arms around her, pulling her into a tight, abide slightly stiff, hug.

"Thank you," Jade whispered to Tori. "Thank you for accepting this."

"I know you'll treat her right," Tori replied, still in slight shock over Jade's sudden show of affection. "And together you'll raise a great kid."

The flash of a PearPhone camera suddenly pulled them apart. "Cat!" Jade yelled at her girlfriend, who was stood giggling to herself, PearPhone in hand

"You hugged her! I had to get a picture to prove that I wasn't hallucinating." Cat defended, still giggling.

"Oh, chiz!" Jade said suddenly. "I forgot I'm meant to be onstage right now. Cat you need to get into your costume."

"It doesn't fit," Cat told her, that's how Tori found out.

"Oh right," Jade muttered. "Just go onstage in normal clothes, we'll work this out later."

"After this run through, we'll go out and buy you a better costume, one that would fit you better and cover the bump if you'd like," Tori suggested.

"I'd like that." Cat smiled.

"Good, I've gotta go for now," Jade said quickly, running out of the room.

"We'll all go back to mine and Jade's afterwards," Cat told Tori. "We have a lot to catch you up on now that you know."

* * *

About 3 hours later, the play run-through was over and the girls had successfully found a white dress for Cat: one which flared out into a skirt below her ribs, ending just above her knees. When they finished shopping, the three headed back to Jade and Cat's house where they then ordered takeaway pizza to sit and chat about the news.

"So, you got any questions Tori, or are we gonna just sit here in silence?" Jade asked after they'd finished eating, now sat on the couch where Cat was sewing a velcro patch onto the back of her white dress for the wings to stick onto.

"Am I allowed to ask questions?" Tori asked nervously. "I don't wanna be rude or anything."

"If I managed to do it without being rude then you'll be fine." Jade shrugged.

"O...okay." Tori stuttered. "Um, I really don't wanna sound rude but... who's the dad?"

"Going straight in there aren't ya," Jade commented making Tori go bright red.

"Jadey, stop making her nervous." Cat cut in. "That's not a rude question." She told Tori. "And... I don't know who the dad is."

"You don't know?" Tori asked. "Is it between two guys or-"

"No..." Cat shook her head, keeping herself focused on the sewing as to not start to panic for no reason at all. "There was only one guy at the time... I just.. I..."

"She was raped." Jade interrupted, wanting to take the weight off of Cat.

There was a deafening silence from Tori. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned shock. Her brain stutters for a moment, every part of her goes on pause while her thoughts catch up. "Oh my God," Tori whispered.

"I...it wasn't 'rape'," Cat spoke up. "I-"

"Yes, it was Cat!" Jade yelled suddenly. "Your drink was spiked and that guy took advantage of you when you were unconscious... that's rape."

"Jadey please stop." She muttered, clamping her eyes shut to stop the tears that suddenly threated to spill over the edge of her waterline.

"I'm sorry Cat but I can't," Jade told her, her tone hurt and raw. "That guy raped you Cat! You need to stop defending him!"

"I feel like I shouldn't be here for this," Tori muttered, the initial shock still not worn off.

"I don't want to hate him, Jade!" Cat yelled back suddenly, throwing the dress to the ground. "I can't hate the guy who did this to me!"

"Why the Hell not?!" Jade screamed back. "Cause I sure as hell want to murder that douche bag!"

"My baby is half him, whoever he is... if I hate him then I hate half of my baby... I... I can't do that!" Cat yelled, her voice moving from a place of anger to complete and utter hurt.

Silence. Complete and utter silence. A pin could have fallen and it would have been heard- which was ironic as Cat's discarded sewing needle was now laying on the floor. Both girls were breathing heavy as their arguing stopped and Tori was sat there in complete shock, wishing she was anywhere but there. "I.. I'm so sorry Cat," Jade spoke up, running her hand through her hair. "I overreacted, and you're right. I... I'm sorry." She stuttered.

Cat nodded in acceptance. "Y... your heart was in the right place. And sorry got getting you in the middle of that Tori, we've never fought like that before."

"It's okay," Tori mumbled. "I'm just in shock ya know."

"Trust me, I know," Jade told her. "Sorry, you had to see that."

"Let's just stop with the apologies now." Cat suggested, sitting back on the floor to continue sewing. "I wanna move on from that."

"You're right... again." Jade nodded. "Got any more questions, Tori?"

"Just one." She said.

"Go ahead," Cat told her.

"Have you told your parents?" She asked. Once again, silence hung in the air and the room tensed up. "If that's gonna make you fight again, then forget it."

"N... no, it's okay," Cat mumbled. "We did tell my parents and... well let's put it this way: that's the reason I'm living here now." She sighed.

"They kicked you out?!" Tori gasped.

"Uhuh," Cat replied, looking down.

"How could they do that?" Tori said in shock

"That's what I said," Jade added.

"They were pretty religious," Cat told them. "So they never approved of my 'lifestyle.'" She said, using air quotes while she talked. "If it wasn't for the baby... they'd gave kicked me out for being bisexual."

"We're better off without them," Jade said, walking over to Cat and giving her a quick comforting kiss.

"I...I have one more question." Tori spoke up. "C...can I help?"

"Help with what?" Cat asked quizzically.

"With the baby," Tori said. "Like, if you need a babysitter once they're born when you and Jade need a break." She suggested.

"Really?" Cat asked. "That would be great!" She beamed.

"I'd be a terrible friend if I didn't help you out here Cat," Tori said back.

"Thank you," Cat told her, jumping to her feet and wrapping her arms around Tori, holding her in a tight hug.

"You'd do the same for me," Tori told her.


	21. Chapter 21

Next came the day of the performance. Two weeks of intense preparation had brought the teens to this point, stood onstage in front of a theatre full of people, acting their hearts out and living in the moment. In the front row sat Sikowitz, insanely proud of his students for pulling off such a hard task, no criticisms anywhere near his train of thought.

As previously mentioned, Jade was the lead and she totally deserved to be. For an 18-year-old, Jade was one hell of an actress, but when you're doing something you love, you work your ass off to be good at it. Yes, she _loved_ acting. There weren't many things Jade West loved, but the acting was at the top of her list- right next to Cat of course. She loved the feel of delivering lines, allowing the fluidity of her own voice to dance over her tongue. She could bring other's joy or sadness with her craft, make them laugh, smile and cry. So when it's time to perform she just forgets that her words are scripted and act like it's just my normal life and pretty soon she forgets that she's performing. She loved the challenges and tricks in the portrayal of emotion. How she could take the memories of reality and twist it into anger from her character instead. How she could find the meaning behind the pain of losing someone who was never really there. How she could become a hero for the sake of someone she didn't even know and cry tears of joy when in reality, nothing, in particular, was going on. The description an actor's work is strange when written in such detailing, but in summary: she loved how acting let her experience events which would never occur in reality.

Often, she would question her future in the business. How could she ever give up this feeling for a 'proper job' after leaving school? She would never be able to work in the coffee shop where every line she delivered had been rehearsed and perfected. She knew her path in life was to do with acting, either on the stage herself or directing others. She had more than enough money to keep herself stable whilst she pursued her dream, she just hoped she was good enough to make it there.

Cat, however, was not the lead. Well, that's because there can't be two leads. She wasn't jealous or envious in any way, in fact, she was proud. Cat liked acting, but not as much as Jade did. Singing and fashion were more of Cat's things, but she was in no way a bad actress. She was happy with her slightly smaller onstage part.

There was a part of her that was seeing another side to acting now though, something the week of work had really opened her eyes too. An escape from reality. When she was acting in this play, she was no longer a pregnant 17-year-old girl, but an angel guiding a troubled soul to the path of righteousness. To act well you become the part, not another version of yourself, but truly live it as a separate person. It's the only way to be authentic: to feel their emotions, work through their problems, always keeping in mind the limitations of their perspective. That's the only way how to give a sincere performance.

As mentioned, Cat had always focused on singing. Singing lets your emphasis your emotions, leave them out for all to see. Acting lets your hide and bury them, carefully picking which ones to show, but even those can be shown through a character-shaped mask. Sometimes it was time for a change, and this performance was really that.

* * *

As the curtains drew to a close and the audience applauded, the show was over. Jade's character had been coaxed from evil and on the journey to a life of good, ironically with Cat. The play was a slight metaphor for their lives in the sense of things. In reality, neither of them was heading to 'evil' per se, but since finding each other, they'd definitely leant closer to the light. They'd saved each other in some sense, brought out the best side of themselves, and that is the power of love.

The power of love makes you both angel and follower - but not a fighter, not one who looks for a pointless battle for the thrill of power. Love bestows the urge to nurture; should a loved one be threatened in mind, body or soul, a defensive nature is activated. Love is free, never possessive or jealous, always kind, never seeking to wound or control.

There is nothing more important in life than love. Love binds us to one another and to every good deed we do. It is love that keeps us healthy and positively focused. We shower our children with love and positive reinforcement, we hold our lover dear and remind them in our own special way how deeply loved and appreciated they are. We love our friends, our homes and our communities. Love is the most precious commodity on earth; it's free and the more we give the more it multiplies. It is truly the superpower we carry inside.

* * *

Jade POV

After a well-deserved congratulations from Sikowitz, and a reminder to 'enjoy our Christmas break', we went home on an emotional high. Both Cat and I were exhausted yet also wide awake. Both happy it's over, but sad it is. Both aware and delusional. These feelings continued until we pulled ourselves into our shared bed. Neither of us were ready to sleep but knew our morning-selves would hate us for it if we didn't. So we just laid there in the dark together, trying to find a way to calm our hyperactive minds.

"Hey, Cat?" I said after we'd laid there for like half an hour, breaking the silence. We were still in the dark... and I know it's weird, but frankly... I've always preferred darkness. It feels... safe, like when you put a towel over a bird's cage or something and it calms it down. I'm like that.

I heard Cat shuffling in the dark, and then she was squirming up alongside me on the bed so that her face was next to mine. "Yeah?" She said, and I could feel her movement as she breathed, my hand subconsciously moving to rest on the curve of her hip.

"I was gonna ask if you were still awake," I told her bluntly.

"I am." She replied curtly, her fingertips tiptoeing along my arm, and her voice quiet and simple. I felt my whole body tingle and the hairs on my arm stand up on end. Slowly, I sat upright and I traced my fingertips over her cheek, leaning forward and finding her lips in a soft, lingering kiss. "You were great today." I heard Cat make a soft noise and I smiled. "You're such a good actress."

She sat up too, her hand still on my arm. "Me? You stole the show." She replied, placing a light kiss on my lips, making my heart instantly started beating a little faster.

"I think I went a little dramatic in the crying scene," I admitted, stealing another quick kiss as we spoke.

"It was perfect." She purred. It was clear at this moment that she wasn't at all focused on our conversation, and nor was I really, it just being background noise between stolen kisses.

Suddenly, Cat's hand pushed against my shoulder, and I let her push me onto my back... and then she was straddling me, her lips finding mine soon after. And it wasn't just a light kiss... she was kissing me in soft, fervent little bursts, breaking away only to gasp in a short breath. I was surprised... I didn't... I don't... she was overwhelming me, a hand moving up my ribs, over the clothed flesh. She was everywhere at once... her hands, her thighs, her tongue, her whole goddamn body was working against me, and I was finding it hard to resist. Why did this keep happening? I mean, I know we are teenagers and all, but why couldn't I control myself? I never had this problem with Beck.

There were very good reasons why neither of us should've been doing that. Reasons that I was finding it hard to think of suddenly. My hands found their way to the backs of her thighs and I pushed up against her, half sitting up. "C-Cat," I managed to gasp in between kisses, my lips feeling flushed and over-plumped. Cat made a soft noise in response, continuing her assault with vigour, her hands now snaked under my shirt and just rested just under my breasts and I jerked against her, my breath stuttering even more as I suppressed a moan. "Hmm... Cat..." This wasn't working at all. She seemed to like me saying her name, and I admit, it wasn't coming out as 'Cat, stop right now'... it was more like, 'Cat, keep going'.

It took a huge effort, but I managed to grab her arms, and it got her attention enough that she pulled back, slightly breathless. It took me a moment to recover myself, before I could say, "Cat... what are you doing?" I tried to keep my voice soft because asking her something like this could hurt her. She gets offended so easily, and it's not surprising really with her already over-reactive personality mixed with pregnancy hormones. I was surprised when she didn't say anything, her hands moving reluctantly from under my shirt. "Cat?" I was still waiting for an outburst, for her trademark, 'What's that supposed to mean?', and it scared me a little that it was not coming.

"You... you want me to stop?" Cat's voice was quiet and hesitant, and although it was starting to hurt my back sitting like that, I sat up a little further, trying to get closer to her, her baby bump now pushing against my stomach.

"No... yes. I... it's just..." She had scattered my thoughts, and I was finding it hard to collect them again, still tasting her on my lips..."I...I didn't think you'd want to so soon after..." I was struggling, tact is not my strong suit.

Cat sat back. "Oh." I was finding the fact that she was still straddling me incredibly distracting, and it didn't help that her hands had splayed themselves on my stomach. God. Even when she didn't mean to, she drove me crazy. I'd never wanted... I'd never had such a strong urge before. It was ridiculous. I... I must've really liked her. I mean, duh! "I just... I just wanted to..." Cat sighed, moving off me, and I turned to face her.

"You wanted to what?" I asked, she definitely sounded guilty. That was it. Darkness was fine, but I needed to see her face. I moved off the bed and flipped the switch, barely waiting for my eyes to adjust before I sat back beside her, my eyes running over her face. Her eyes flicked up to mine, her pupils expanded, and she did look guilty.

"I'm sorry... I went too far... I thought you were hinting at it." Her gaze skittered away from mine, her eyes downcast, and she bit her lip, chewing on it. "I wanted to make you happy. I-I I'm sorry."

Her words were like a stab in the heart, a reminder that there was still a part of her brain telling her that I'm here to use her, like all of those boys in the past. Cat thought that I didn't really want her, that I'd snap out of whatever phase I was in soon and act like everyone else. I didn't think she was really ready for it yet, she'd never been ready, but she'd been so used to going too fast. "Cat, I love you more than anything and you don't need to do anything to 'make me happy' I am happy with you whatever we're doing," I told her.

"B...b.. but." She stuttered, my response something she'd never come across before, trying to process the brand new information like a computer reading a new file or something. Of course she reacted like this, who could blame her. She's had the most important people in her life reject her. Her parents, whose one job is to love her no matter what, and her first lovers, who held such power over her. To be met with rejection from the few people you hope never to be rejected by. It'd destroy anyone's ego, it's just unfortunate it happened to Cat, who was already so sensitive. She wanted to trust me, she wanted to believe me... I mean, who doesn't want to believe that someone cares about them? But she couldn't take the chance of being hurt like that again. She was scared that if she didn't satisfy me, I'd leave and she couldn't deal with that.

"You've gotta stop thinking this way Cat." I almost pleaded with her because it killed me for her to think about herself as she did. "Please."

Cat looked at me, speechless, and I could tell she didn't understand. How could she not think the way she does? How could she not think of herself as she did? Who'd ever challenged that? Who'd ever even bothered to find out what she thinks of herself in a situation like this? I'd been her friend since I could remember and of course, we'd had talks about the emotional stuff, when we hurt and when we felt low... but that's different to what you talk about to someone you're in a relationship with and they talk about the self-image and the actions they take together. And until now, none of her partners had had that discussion with her, being demanding rather than respectful.

I used to hate everyone for being flawed, for showing weakness. Now I hate them for what they've done, that they've let this happen. That they've let someone like Cat sink so low, hit her so hard I don't even know if I can fix her. Nobody has even tried to help her, and until recently I include myself with those people. But it changes now. I will show her how love should be, how it should really be.

A natural impulse overtook me and I carefully pulled Cat in for a hug. "C...can we go back to trying to sleep now?" She whispered to me, clearly embarrassed about the previous moments.

"Sure," I told her, placing a quick, comforting kiss on her forehead before climbing off of the bed to turn off the light.

When I lifted the sheets to climb back in again, I snuggled up close to Cat so close that she could definitely feel the rising and falling of my chest against her back. As she relaxed into me, I draped my arm over her waist, resting my hand on her baby bump. I swore she could feel the baby moving under my touch, but with Cat being only 4 months along it had to just be my imagination.

In the darkness, our cuddles felt like a little touch of ecstasy, warm and cosy. I wish I could've extended the night just so I could stay that close to her forever, keeping her safe in my embrace. I think it's that she gives me hope for the future. When I'm with her, I start to believe that there is nothing out there to fear, that my future is planned and safe, that our future is secure. I never want to leave her side, and I promise her that.

* * *

No POV

An hour later, Jade was awake again and unable to settle her mind. It was spinning with thoughts, Cat's previous actions finally catching up with her, the words carved into her mind. Cat was really damaged by her past, something she hid all too well. Jade felt her blood start to boil as she got angrier at those boys who'd hurt her, who'd tarnished Cat's reputation, who'd manipulated her past self. Deciding that it wasn't good to get angry while laying next to Cat, for fear that she may hurt her, Jade slowly creeped out of bed, unwrapping her arms from her sleeping girlfriend.

As her feet hit the floor, Cat let out a slight purr in her sleep. Cat... purring... how ironic. Jade couldn't help but smile, Cat just looked so peaceful. She was still curled up in a slightly expanded ball, from where Jade had once been curved around her, with a small smile across her lips. In sleep she was practically angelic, her face as fresh as a dewdrop, making gentle snuffling noises as she breathed. Almost all the anger had suddenly dropped from Jade; before she remembered why she was angry in the first place and it was suddenly back again at full force. Her fists clenched and she stormed out of the room.

As she reached the bottom of the stairs she wondered what to do next. Normally when she was angry she'd go for a walk, but she couldn't just leave Cat alone in the house- the poor girl would think Jade had left her. So Jade resorted to pacing back and forth in the main room, her mind searching for what to do. She could break something- no, a lot of the stuff in the house was Cat's and she didn't want to accidentally smash something of hers. She could play the piano - no, all of the songs she knew were too peaceful and soft for this situation. She could sing- yeah, that would do. Deciding she had to try and be quiet, Jade walked over to the laptop, that had been left on the kitchen table, and went onto Youtube to pick a song. It had to be one that meant something in this situation, but she doubted there would be any specific enough. On a whim, she searched, 'songs about a loved one being manipulated', she hadn't heard any of the songs that came up. 'Songs about hurt' she searched next, all the songs were breakup songs. "Argh." She grumbled, before trying for a third time. 'Songs about fixing a bad reputation'. She tried. Finally, she found one she knew: **'Bad Reputation' by Shawn Mendes. **Mentally, she ran through the lyrics, thinking back to the first time she'd heard the song while listening to his album when it first came out. Oddly enough, the lyrics fitted her situation very well, despite the odd word. Deciding that this song was the best option, she pressed play, keeping the volume low on the laptop and singing softly to the words. The only problem with Jade's powerful voice meant that 'softly' for her was at about normal speaking volume, though she was sure she was too far away from Cat to wake her.

_"She got a bad reputation  
__She takes the long way home_  
_And all of my friends seen her naked_  
_Or so the story goes_  
_Mistakes we all make them_  
_But they won't let it go, no_  
_'Cause she's got a bad reputation_  
_But I know what they don't_

_And I don't care what they say about you baby_  
_They don't know what you've been through_  
_Trust me, I could be the one to treat you like a lady_  
_Let me see what's underneath, all I need is you_

_She got a bad reputation_  
_Nobody gets too close_  
_A sight of a soul when it's breaking_  
_Making my heart grow cold_  
_And into the deeper she's sinking_  
_I'm begging her please don't let go_  
_She's got a bad reputation_  
_But she's all that, all I want though_

_And I don't care what they say about you baby_  
_They don't know what you've been through_  
_And trust me, I could be the one to treat you like a lady_  
_Let me see what's underneath, all I need is you_

_Nobody knows the way that I know her, said_  
_Nobody knows the weight that's on her shoulders, said_  
_Nobody knows the way that I know her, said_  
_She got it bad, she got it bad_  
_Nobody knows the way that I know her, said_  
_Nobody knows the weight that's on her shoulders, said_  
_Nobody knows the way that I know her, said_  
_She got it bad, she got it bad_

_And I don't care what they say about you baby_  
_They don't know what you've been through_  
_Trust me, I could be the one to treat you like a lady_  
_Let me see what's underneath, all I need is you_

_And I don't care what they say about you baby_  
_They don't know what you've been through_  
_Trust me, I could be the one to treat you like a lady_  
_Let me see what's underneath, all I need is you_

_She got a bad reputation_  
_She takes the long way home"_

As the song finished, Jade's anger had practically all passed, so she turned off the laptop and made her way upstairs again. As she climbed into bed, she swore she felt Cat move to accommodate her, and whisper an 'I love you'. Maybe she was sleep talking? Jade told herself, closing her eyes to fall back to sleep.

She wasn't sleeptalking, as she had, in fact, been awake the whole time and had heard every lyric. 'I hope I can get past this reputation too' the redhead thought to herself as sleep took her too.


	22. Chapter 22

The next morning started like any other, Cat jumping out of bed and rushing to the ensuite to empty her stomach. "I need to stop waking up like this." She mumbled to Jade, who was (as normal) holding back her hair. The predicaments of the previous night were pushed aside, Jade didn't ask Cat about her conduct and Cat didn't ask Jade about the song. hey just acted as if nothing had happened, their relationship resuming at its normal pace and level.

"Hey Ellie-" Jade started, wagging a finger at Cat's stomach. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop making you Mom puke, it's not nice."

"Ya know if it's a boy, it would be offended if we called him 'Ellie' while he was in the womb," Cat commented, unable to stop herself from smiling at Jade's antics.

"We could lie and say it was short for Elliot," Jade replied curtly, reaching onto the sink and handing Cat the mouthwash, that they'd brought for this exact reason.

"Elliot's a cute name," Cat said back, drinking a swig of the mouthwash, swagging it around her mouth and then spitting it back out again.

"How about it then, if it's a boy?" Jade suggested, throwing the idea out there.

"Elliot Valentine-West," Cat said. "We'd need a middle name, but yeah I like it."

"Imagine if it is a boy. 'Mommy, how did you come up with my name?'" Jade made her voice higher as to imitate a young child. "Well, your mom was throwing up-" She started, laughing to herself.

"Stop." Cat giggled, joining Jade. "W...would you want the baby to call you Mommy?" She asked, leaning into Jade slightly.

"Well yeah, when it's old enough to talk obviously," Jade admitted. "If it's okay with you."

"I'd like that." Cat smiled back. "I think I wanna be called 'Mamma'" She said, using the Italian term. "It's what I called my Mom and what she called hers."

"That's a good way to get over the name confusion." Jade smiled.

"You're too good for me," Cat whispered, leaning in gently and kisses Jade's warms lips, fitting together like two puzzle pieces.

When they broke away after what seemed like ages Jade looked at Cat with wide-eyes. "I could never be too good for you." She whispered back, running her hand through Cat's hair. "You deserve the world, don't ever doubt that."

"But-" Cat started.

Jade interrupted her with another quick kiss. "Let's get some breakfast." She suggested. "You've got a big day ahead of you."

"I almost forgot about the Kick Back tonight." Cat gasped.

"You're going to do amazingly," Jade told her. "You'll blow everyone away." She added. Since last nights' fiasco, she had mentally decided to remind Cat more often about how much she cared about her and, consequently, boost her self esteem.

"Thank you." Cat replied curtly. "I still don't think anything I do will beat your acting yesterday." She added, nuzzling herself into Jade's side. In response, her girlfriend wrapped her hand around Cat's side, keeping her in place.

"We need to stop flirting on the floor by the toilet," Jade said, snapping herself back into reality.

"Totally," Cat added, her own mind back too. "Let's flirt in the kitchen instead while I make breakfast."

"I'm all up for that." Jade smiled, helping Cat to her feet and leading her out of the room.

* * *

And, as suggested, they did flirt while making breakfast. And after that. And for the rest of the day. You'd think you'd run out of compliments at some point, but when you love someone that much, you can go on forever. This train of admirations continued throughout the whole day until they were putting on their makeup and outfits for the Christmas Kick Back.

Thanks to a bit of online shopping, Cat had ordered a very big red Christmas jumper, with a huge rudolf face on the front, which ended halfway down her thighs with a pair of cream boots which ended just above the knee, leaving a tiny bit of skin open. Her accessories and makeup were very seasonal too, a pair of snowflake earrings, a reindeer antler headband and glittery-gold eyeshadow with a small cat-eye and red lipstick.

Jade, on the other hand, was her normal dark and dramatic self. Her clip-in blue highlights, which stood out boldly amongst her black hair, were the only pop of colour on her otherwise all-black outfit. She had a tight black leather jacket over a low-cut equally tight black lace shirt. Her bottom-half consisted of a faux-leather skirt, fishnet tights and lace-front black heeled boots. Very unchristmas-y.

The girls were like Ying and Yang, I'll let you guess who is who. They both looked equally stunning, despite the vast differences, they just knew how to rock their own styles. Side by side, they left the house and drove to the school, ready to hang with their friends and (for Cat) perform in front of the whole school. Neither of them looked especially 'Christmas-y' but the Kick Back, surprisingly, didn't have much to do with Christmas, just being an End Of Semester Party, that happened to be around Christmas.

"Heeyyyy!" Cat giggled once they arrived, skipping her way over to Tori, Andre, Beck and Robbie (who had already arrived). Like the girls, each of them had their own distinct style of clothing, still reflected through a set of Christmas based attire. Andre was wearing a simple grey jumper with little red and white reindeers across it, along with a pair of basic black jeans. Tori had a Santa costume mixed with a dress, it was red with white hems, matching her Santa-hat and a thick black belt around the midriff. Beck was wearing a full-on reindeer hoodie, but somehow with his natural swagger, he was completely rocking it. Robbie was stood with a typical ugly-Christmas hoodie and jeans.

"Hey Lil'Red." Andre greeted.

"You look Christmas-y Jade," Beck commented jokingly, noting how Jade was adorning a full black outfit.

"Bite me, Rudolf." She shot back, smirking to herself.

"You ready to perform later Cat?" Tori asked, cutting off Jade and Beck.

"Yuppie." Cat chirped.

"You nervous?" Tori added.

"A little," Cat admitted. "How could you tell?"

"You're hyper," Tori replied curtly.

"She's always hyper." Beck interrupted.

"What's that supposed to- woah." Cat started, before stopping herself mid-sentence.

"That's something you haven't said in a while," Robbie spoke up slowly.

"Uhuh," Cat mumbled, looking down in embarrassment. Her hormones were really messing with her emotions, and bringing back that defensive phrase was a line she had been trying not to cross.

"You two want drinks from the punch bowl?" Beck spoke up to Jade and Cat, changing the object.

"I'm not sure that's a great idea," Jade spoke up. "It might be spiked."

"Since when were you one to go against alcohol?" Beck asked his ex, raising an eyebrow. "Actually, you were the one who spiked the punch bowl last time."

"That was you?" Tori cut in suddenly. "Trina got wasted and I had to walk her the whole way home and hide it from my parents! And trust me, drunk Trina is somehow way worse than sober Trina."

"That makes that so much better," Jade commented, a bold smirk on her face.

"So no to drinks?" Beck asked.

"No, if it's got alcohol in then Cat can't drink it and I don't wanna leave her out." Jade rambled.

"Why can't Cat drink?" Andre spoke up.

"Oh...I... um." Jade fumbled with her words, realising she'd nearly told the boy's Cat's secret.

"It's illegal." Cat interrupted.

"I've seen you drunk before." Beck raised an eyebrow at her, referring to the multiple parties he'd driven her home from over the years when she'd call him for help. "A lot."

"Shhhh," Cat announced loudly. "Someone might hear you say that!" A good thing about her over-the-top personality is that she could use it to her advantage to get herself out of uncomfortable situations like this.

"There's food too, does anyone else want anything?" Beck suggested. "There brought back the cheese fountain again."

"Try not to spray it over Cat this time Tori." Jade prodded.

"Hey! I apologised a thousand times!" Tori defended herself quickly. "Right Cat?"

"As long as you don't kiss Jade then I'm fine." Cat shrugged, knowing that she'd just gotten a slight jab at both Tori and Jade.

"You are not coming anywhere near me Tori," Jade growled.

"Don't worry; I won't," Tori replied quickly, backing away a few steps and raising her arms in mock surrender.

"I trust you." Cat giggled to herself, slightly emphasising her point by pushing herself onto tip-toe and kissing Jade on the lips.

"I've got Andre now anyway," Tori replied, copying Cat's actions and kissing her boyfriend in a similar manner.

"Let's go get some food Beck," Robbie spoke up awkwardly, feeling like a major third wheel.

"Great idea," Beck responded, feeling the exact same way.

And with that, the two single boys left, making their way through the crowd of dancing people, to where an assortment of party food was splayed out like a buffet. Everyone was coated in a layer of Christmas Decorations, as was everything in the school during the festive season.

The two couples remained in their own worlds, kissing lightly and looking into each other's eyes until a loud announcement interrupted them. All four heads snapped to the stage where Principle Helen was stood, giving a quick mandatory speech over 'being sensible' and 'enjoy yourselves' before introducing the first act.

"How can you be sensible and have fun?" Jade mumbled to herself while the first act made their way to the stage. It was a freshman girl, she was a pretty good singer, not amazing, but pretty good. They typically put the Freshman acts first, while people still filed into the Kick Back, and then the Sophmore, then Juniors, ending the night on a bang with the Seniors. The night itself lasted about 2 hours, from 9 pm to 11 pm. A lot of students continue the night with after-parties elsewhere, but most go home at the ending time. It was a major honour to be the final act, as it was the most anticipated, so there was a bit of pressure on Tori and Cat.

* * *

As the night continued, the acts got better and better. The songs ranged from high-energy pop to slow sonnets, each one changing the mood of the dancefloor from lively and intense to slow and intimate. Surprisingly, it was a nice mix of genres, well organised and coordinated. Most of the songs sung were covers rather and originals and some of the dances were from copied choreography, but that didn't take away any of the enjoyment.

When the Senior acts began, Tori and Cat said goodbye to the group and made their way backstage to prepare for their song with the band. You'd be surprised to know that Andre was not among the chosen musicians, but with the song being so personal, and almost a thank you to those who helped through hardships, Tori decided that she'd rather sing to her boyfriend in the audience, rather than him being onstage behind her.

Eventually, when the second to last act was finished (a group of Seniors performing a unique hip-hop routine), Cat and Tori made their way to the front of the stage, the drummer, guitarists and keyboard player standing a few metres back. "Hey everyone!" Tori announced, any nerves suddenly leaving her. She was practically born to be onstage and lived to perform No matter how worried she was beforehand, as soon as her feet hit the platform, she was fearless. "This is a song Cat and I wrote ourselves and I hope you enjoy it." She summaries briefly, nodding to the boy behind the keyboard.

While his hands were tapping the keys, Cat's heartbeat was still loud in her chest, her body shaking slightly as she looked out to the audience in front of her. No matter how many times she went on stage, there would always be that underlying sense of worry - luckily for her, she knew a song that would help with that anxiety. Still, she needed a way to calm herself while she stood there, waiting for the introduction and Tori's first verse to end. Her eyes scanned the audience, her eyes locking with Jade's, who was stood there with full attention, smiling proudly at her girlfriend. And suddenly, Cat was as confident and clear-minded as Tori was. There could be an audience of a million strong, she would now be okay with that, because the only person's opinion she cared for was Jade's. So regardless of the glare of the lights or the pressure of the stage, she would always have her arms to retreat to. She could stand up and sing anything, anywhere in the world and it would be the same as sitting together on their couch at home. That's what love can do, it can bring out the strong version of you and shield you from the nonsense the unthinking can cast your way.

As Tori's verse ended, the spirits of the audience high, Cat opened her mouth to begin the pre-chorus. Next came the join chorus, Tori's solo second verse, back to Cat's solo pre-chorus and so on. As the song progressed, the two became more comfortable, throwing in a few vocal tricks. The final bridge and chorus, being also antiphonal in texture, the two girls began a somewhat friendly competition, laughing to each other as they sang runs and other skilful techniques. The final note was a joint C note, though one singer was quite a bit higher than the other. Cat had hit a whistle tone and the song faded out.

The cheers erupt like an auditory volcano. The girls were electrified, soaring to new heights of emotion. "Oh my god!" Tori yelled over the noise, enveloping Cat into a hug. "Where did that come from?"

"I... I don't know." Cat squealed back, her voice raw from the bad placement in her voice on that final note. "I've practised it before, but I've never done it like that."

"It was amazing!" Tori cheered.

"Your runs were great too." Cat encouraged.

The screaming audience was still in the background, the noise almost deafening. The two girls and band quickly scurried offstage, to be replaced by Principle Helen who was announcing the end of the night, struggling to be heard over the cheers.

As soon as their feet hit the asphalt floor, the two singers rushed to their respective partners. "You did amazing Babe," Jade told Cat, pulling her in for a kiss that obliterated every thought from both girls. It was as if when they locked lips their brain simultaneously lit on fire and the warmth spread throughout their entire bodies. As the kiss deepened, Jade's hands were wrapped around Cat's waist and hers locked around her Jade's pulling her down slightly. When they finally broke apart for air, Cat rested my forehead against Jade's and gathered so much-needed oxygen. Jade's smirk told Cat everything and she smiled back, sinking into Jade's hold.


	23. Chapter 23

The Next Day

Jade POV

With the 2 weeks of intense work, and the performances we'd been working towards, out of the way, we could finally relax and enjoy our Christmas Break. Now, I'm not one of those people who is obsessed with the holiday, seeing as since age 8 I've always related it with the time of year that my Mom died, and because of that I've always seen it in a different sort of light than everyone else. To me, it's the biggest con job of all time. Not the celebration of Jesus, I love the guy. It's what it's become. We all want love in the holidays, and some slick marketing jocks told us it comes in a box with a pretty ribbon and a prettier price-tag. The higher the price the more the love, right? I'm somewhat of a hypocrite though, as I have brought Cat quite a few present already, thanks to the luxuries of online shopping.

Speaking of Cat, she loves Christmas and how it makes everyone happy. This year, however, is the first year without her family, and I can see it's hitting her hard. Even with her parents always away with her brother, they still made the effort to come back to LA for her at Christmas, which is probably the reason she likes it so much in the first place. Right now, she's laying on the couch, staring into the ceiling as she plays Christmas songs on her phone beside her. It's like she's conditioning herself to get into the Christmas spirit, but she just can't.

"Hey Cat." I speak up, pulling her out of her slightly depressing trance.

"Yeah?" She replies quietly, not moving her eyes from they are glued to the ceiling.

"Wanna put up a Christmas tree?" I suggest.

"You have a Christmas tree?" She says, practically jumping off of the couch, her eyes alight.

"Yep," I reply curtly. "It's a fake one, in a box in the basement. I only have it because my Dad gave it to me when he cleared out his house to move."

"Can I put the star on the top?" She asks, giving me those same puppy-dog eyes that she uses to get anything from me.

"Sure," I reply. "If you can reach," I add cheekily

"I can reach!" She says adamantly.

And guess what... she couldn't. We spent the next 2 hours adorning the tree in gold and white ornaments, blasting Christmas tunes as loud as we could to get us into the spirit. To be honest, we spent more time singing and dancing than adding baubles, lights and tinsel to the plastic green tree. There is something so intoxicating about Cat's excitement. The way she bounces at every step, how she squeals when something good happens and the way she giggles so adorable. As her grins get wider you can't help but start to smile too. That's how Cat is at Christmas as if she's bursting with liquid sunshine from within.

Once we were finally happy with the coverage of decorations on the tree, Cat bounced over to it to put the gold star on the top, which is when she realised that she, in fact, was too short to reach. I was stood back, smirking slightly at the scene in front of me as she tried jumping up and down. Man, I love being right. "Want some help there?" I asked after she'd been trying for at least a minute.

"Yes please." She mumbled in defeat.

Quickly, I walked over to her and planted my hands on her curvy hips and slowly lift her. "Jadey!" She squeals joyfully as I lifted her off of the ground with ease, even with the growing baby inside her, she still only weighed like 100 pounds.

"What?" I asked, faking innocence as I continued to hold her up. "Can you reach now or not?"

"I can reach." She giggled, placing the star on the top of the trees. Once she'd done this, I slowly lowered her back down to the ground.

"Yay! It looks so pretty!" Cat giggled, clapping to herself.

"We've still got to turn on the lights," I told her.

"Do it, do it!" She started to cheer.

Once again, I couldn't help but smile at her child-like joy as I plugged the lights into the wall. "3...2...1." I counted, prolonging the moment just so I could continue to see the excitement build up in her.

"Wow!" Cat beamed, looking at the tree in awe.

"It's not _that_ good," I spoke up.

"It's perfect." She smiled, literally jumping on me. Luckily, I'd put my arms out in time to catch her, keeping her held up in front of me, my hands resting under her butt while she wrapped her legs around my torso.

"Having fun there?" I asked, a smile still on my face as I continued to hold her up.

"Lots." She beamed, leaning down and pressed her lips against mine.

No matter how many times we kiss, the warmth that envelopes my body will always take me by surprise, and I practically had to stop myself from dropping her in shock.

I love to kiss her, to hold her. Her lips are the texture of a marshmallow, soft and somehow also sweet like the candy. It's addictive, and I always want more, but I have to override that sense and pull away before we go too far. She's just so warm, small and soft. She's more like a cat then she knows.

Recently, it's been getting harder and harder to stop, and I know it's the same for her too (as shown a few nights ago).

Eventually, we did pull away, only really because we needed breathe and I was scared I would drop her. "I love you so much," I whispered. Sappy, I know, but I really do love her.

"I love you more." She replied.

* * *

No POV

The rest of the day was spent totally Christmas-fying the house. After a trip to the shops, the girls had brought everything from outdoor lights to 'J' and 'C' stockings. Cat was still unsure how Jade had managed to find a black Christmas stocking, but somehow she did and it even had the same letter font as Cat's pastel pink one.

By the time evening rolled around, every piece of foliage outside of the house was adorned with lights and, with the help of a ladder, the house also had its fair share of colourful bulbs. The inside was filled with scented candles and various little decorations including a small gingerbread house that Cat had decorated. Amidst all this, the two girls were huddled together on the couch, watching 'The Polar Express'. There was no doubt that the festive season was upon them, and even Jade would admit that it was a pleasant experience.


	24. Chapter 24

A few days later

Christmas. Probably the most celebrated day of the year. No longer the annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, instead being a social event of gift exchanging and family gatherings. A time where children and adults alike wake up to prepare for a day of festivities and gifts, hoping to receive the thing they've been longing for.

There were many that weren't manipulated by the corporate-dominated aspects of the season, just appreciative of the time spent with those around them. This is the category Jade and Cat fell into. With Cat being disowned, chances are her family wouldn't even call her, let alone pay a visit or spend the day with her. And with Jade's Dad in Europe, celebrating the day with his new fiance, he wouldn't be with his daughter either.

"Do you always spend Christmas alone?" Cat asked as they were getting out of bed in the morning. Of course, this was Cat's first Christmas away from family, but Jade had been living on her own since she was 16.

"No." Jade shrugged. "I normally fly out to Europe to see him. But I can't stand that Gold Digger Fiance of his and I told him I wouldn't be coming this year, especially not now if that meant leaving you here." She paused, before continuing. "Besides, I don't really mind it. He stays in Europe and I stay here with him sending a few thousand dollars a month and apart from that we stay out of each other's way."

"Isn't it lonely?" Cat asked.

"You tell me." Jade shrugged. "You're in a similar situation."

"It... yeah a little." Cat sighed. "But being with you makes it better."

"Well, that feeling is mutual." Jade smiled weakly back, hating that they were both stuck in an awful situation. "I'll probably call him later at some point, to update him on things."

"You think he'll be okay with me living here?" Cat asked. Of course, the house was Jade's but her father still funded their stay and if he reacted as her parents had, they'd both be out on the street.

"He really won't care," Jade assured her. "He'll do anything to keep me happy, apart from actually put the effort in that is. He's always let me do what I want and have my own way, he just won't argue against it. Which is probably the reason I've turned out the way I did, to be honest." She added.

"Like what?" Cat asked.

"Controlling, bossy, forceful, dominating. Need I go on?" Jade said, raising an eyebrow.

"You aren't like that anymore," Cat told her.

"Because you changed me," Jade replied. "And I really needed to change."

"You're welcome then?" Cat said her tone that of a question, as she was slightly unsure of what she had done to change her. "You're sure he will be okay with this?" She asked again.

"He will be fine," Jade replied bluntly. "Now do you want to go and open presents or not?"

"Presents!" Cat giggled, eyes lighting up like a child on Christm- _oh wait_.

"Let's go then." Jade shook her head at her girlfriend's antics as they walked down the stairs to the tree where a modest amount of presents laid. There were a few for each of them, from their friends and each other. Deciding to build up to each other's presents, they started with the ones from their school peers. From Tori, Jade got a personalised coffee travel mug with the words 'Don't talk to me until I've finished this coffee' printed on it. Cat got a dainty little bracelet with a small cat charm on it.

Andre brought Cat a songwriting notebook, with notation staves, a circle of fifths and lyrics ideas at the front. And for Jade was the book version of the Script for her favourite movie: The Scissoring.

Robbie got Cat and Otomotone (google it) which very much made the Redhead laugh as she played around with how to make different notes. Jade simply got a gift card to Jet Brew, the poor boy was probably too scared to get anything that she might not like, so paying for her coffee was a safe bet.

Beck's present to Jade was a vinyl of one of her favourite Beatles songs, the old Britsh band always had a place in her heart. Cat's gift was a stainless steel ring holder, in the shape of a sitting Cat.

Each gift was thoughtful and catered towards both girl's personalities. They truly were part of a great group of friends, ones that they wished they could keep forever. With College approaching at the end of the school year, there were slight worries about the groups' separation but a part of each of them knew that their friendship was too special to just end like that, and somehow they would stay close.

Anyway, after the unwrapping of those gifts, the girls moved onto the ones they'd brought each other, Cat going first. "Here." She said, handing the first of her presents, a 12x5x17cm box, adorned with neatly wrapped Christmas paper.

Quickly, Jade started unwrapping the paper, eager to know what was inside while Cat sat beside her, nervously waiting for a reaction. After the paper came off, a lidded cardboard box was revealed, with a white sticker over whatever brand-name was once on top. Pulling off the lid, Jade's face automatically broke into a smile, inside was a pair of Black Platform Dr Martens. "You didn't." Was all Jade said, picking them up and turning them over in her hands, letting her eyes roam freely over the boots.

"You said you broke your last pair," Cat told her. "Do you like them?" She asked.

"Like them?" Jade repeated. "I love them! Thank you." To show her appreciation, she leant over to give her girlfriend a quick kiss, before pulling the shoes onto her feet. "They're a perfect fit." She smiled to Cat.

"Yay!" Cat giggled to herself, relieved that her first present was a success, happy to add to Jade's evergrowing boot collection

"Your turn," Jade said, pushing a present towards Cat.

Cat beamed a smile before slowly unwrapping the paper neatly, unfolding the edges. After a few moments, she carefully pulled the paper off, revealed a delicate photo frame, holding the image of the two of them at age 5 on their first day on Kindergarten, Cat had a hold of Jade's hand and was leading her into the school. "This is adorable." Cat breathed, unable to say anything else. "Thank you."

"Remember that day?" Jade asked. "I didn't want to go through the doors so you ran up to me and asked to help me."

"Then you told me you had no friends, so I told you I'd be your friend." Cat finished.

"Which is when my Mom took this photo," Jade said, running her finger over it lightly.

"We were so cute," Cat told her.

"Do you like it?" Jade asked. "I mean I'm not the best with thoughtful gifts-"

"I love it." Cat smiled back, pulling Jade into a hug. "You've done an amazing job so far." After a few moments in the tight embrace, Cat pulled apart to hand Jade her next present. "This one's a little bit more of a joke." She added.

"So is this one," Jade replied, handing Cat a present at the same time.

Jade went first, opening Cat's present, which was a packet of red hair highlight extensions, similar to the blue, purple and green one she normally wore. "It's so we can match." Cat giggled, twirling a strand of her own red hair around her finger.

"I quite like that idea," Jade replied, unable to stop the small smile sneaking across her face. "I'll totally put them in next time I curl my hair." She added.

"Awe yay!" Cat smiled, now opening up her present from Jade. "OMG!" She squealed, pulling out a tiny furry newborn-baby onesie, with little ears on the hood, resembling a bear.

"I think that size will fit you," Jade smirked slightly, poking fun at her girlfriend's small size.

"Hey!" Cat giggled. "I know it's for the baby."

"You're too smart for me." Jade shook her head jokingly.

"Now I really can't wait till they're born so I can put them in this." Cat smiled, one of her hands rested on her bump. "It'll be so adorable."

"Anything that's half of you is bound to be adorable," Jade commented

"You're such a flirt." Cat giggled, smiling boldly at her girlfriend.

"Oh you have no idea," Jade mumbled, opening the last of the 3 presents that Cat had brought her. "A Christmas jumper?" She asked, seeing a stencil of holly on the neckline before she fully unwrapped it.

"You don't have one." Cat shrugged. "Read what it says."

"'Bah Humbug'" Jade read from the torso of the jumper. "That's fair." She shook her head jokingly as she pulled the jumper over her head and put it on.

"Did you like all my presents?" Cat asked hopefully.

"They were great." Jade smiled. "I've still got one more for you." She said.

"You do?" Cat asked quizzically, looking under the tree where there were no more gifts left.

"It's handing on the tree," Jade told her, pointing to the ring box hanging from the tree that was disguised as an ornament.

"W...what is it?" Cat asked, carefully holding the box in her hand.

"A bike," Jade replied sarcastically. "Open it and see."

Silently, Cat pulled back the boxes' lid, revealing a delicate platinum-banded ring. In the middle were three diamonds, one large with two smaller ones either side, thin metal 'claws' extend up from the band to hold the gemstones in place. It was simple but beautiful, and when Cat carefully pulled it out of the box, completely wide-eyed, she could see the small J&C engraving on the inside of the band.

"It's a promise ring," Jade explained. "A promise that I'll always be here, a promise that I love you, a promise-" She cut herself off as she looked at Cat who, apart from being wide-eyed, had yet to really react. "Cat?" She asked.

Slowly, the red-head raised her eyes to Jade, who now had that look in her eye, caught between pride and fear of rejection, about to say how she could return it if Cat didn't like it, or it was really nothing at all. Before she could speak Cat raised her hand to Jade face, touching lightly, angling her face down. Then, without even thinking, her lips were suddenly locked with Jade's, kissing her. The start of the soft touch sent a strong feeling of warmth spiralling through her system. Her lips felt so gentle so warm, she felt Jade's hands begin to slide up her chest and encircle her neck, as the kiss began to grow heavy. Cat's hand slid off Jade's face and tightened around her waist, the ring still in her other hand. They continued kissing each other hungrily wanting more. Cat felt herself being pushed against the wall of the room, Jade's body pressing against hers. The kiss went on, their lips moving in perfect sync and the kiss becoming more passionate by the second.

Reluctantly Cat removed her lips from Jade's, leaning frailly against the wall. Her eyes leisurely began to open, eyelids relaxed as she slowly sucked in the cool air. Jade stares back, her eyes calm. Cat's breath was slow. In strength, she quietly murmured "I love you". Jade's slow breathing emitted the same words.

"So you like it?" Jade asked, still between slow breaths.

"1 million percent," Cat said hyperbolically.

"Let's see if it fits," Jade noted, slowly taking the ring from the box and sliding it on Cat's finger, luckily it did fit.

"I'm never taking that off," Cat whispered.

"Good," Jade growled, slowly leaning in again to re-capture her girlfriend's lips.

However, they were unable to continue for much longer as the sudden ring of Jade's phone interrupted them. At first, Jade was going to ignore it, but after a raised eyebrow from Cat, she answered it. "Hi Dad." Jade spoke into the phone.

"_No matter how much I like looking at your ear, this is a video call Jadelyn." _The voice replied.

"What?" Jade replied, looking at the phone screen to realise he was, in fact, right. "Oh right yeah."

"_Merry Christmas._" Jade's Dad told her. "_Is this an appropriate time? I believe it is 10 am in LA right now."_

"Yes, it is," Jade replied. "And Merry Christmas to you too." She replied.

"_Are you with someone?_" He asked, seeing Cat walking around behind his daughter.

"Um, yeah," Jade said, knowing that she was going to have to tell her Dad the truth. "It's Cat."

"_Ah yes, I recognise the red hair now. How is she? And her family._" Jade's dad asked. Despite being distant with his daughter in recent years, he was once a very involved father, you kind have to be when you're a single parent, knowing Jade's friends well.

"About that..." Jade mumbled, looking away from her phone and turning around to where Cat was trying to sneak away and run upstairs. "Don't run away Cat!" She called over.

"_Has something happened?"_ Jade's dad asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"Quite a bit," Jade replied bluntly. "You got a minute to listen?" She asked her Dad while coaxing Cat towards her.

"_That's why I called Jadelyn_." His father replied.

"Good." Was all Jade responded with, placing her phone down on the coffee table while she and Cat sat down on the couch to talk to him.

"_Hello, Catarina_." Jade's father said to her, he'd never been one for nicknames.

"Hey." Cat replied timidly, waving to the phone screen.

"_Tell me, what's happened?_" He asked.

"Well... okay..." Jade mumbled, not knowing where to start, slowly taking Cat's hand.

"Basically, I got kicked out of my house." Cat blurted out.

"_What? How could your parents do that?!_" Jade's father retorted quickly, genuinely shocked.

"That's what I said," Jade spoke up.

"_Jadelyn, you better have offered the house for her to stay in._" Jade's father told her daughter

"That's why she's here," Jade replied, unable to stop herself from smiling at her father's fast acceptance.

"Now, if you don't mind me asking-" Jade's father began to talk to Cat. "-What drove your parents into their actions?"

"I... I..." She stuttered before taking a deep breath. "I told them I was pregnant." She looked away from the screen, preparing a similar reaction.

"_And they kicked you out for that?_" Was all Jade's Dad responded with. "That's barbaric, they should be there for you, not making things harder."

"Thank you." Cat smiled weakly.

"_I hope my Jadelyn is taking good care of you._" He replied, smiling back.

"She is, trust me," Cat told him.

"_And am I right to presume that your friendship has somewhat extended due to these recent events?_" He asked, noting that the two girl's hands were locked.

"Are you trying to ask if we are dating?" Jade spoke up, slightly nervous of what his response would be, but confident due to his recent spew of acceptance.

"_I guess I am_." Her Dad said.

"Then I guess we are," Jade replied in an equal tone.

"_Then I am very happy for you. Jadelyn, keep Catarina and this baby safe. Catarina, don't let Jadelyn get too protective._" He told them in a very fatherly tone.

"I feel like they contradict each other," Jade commented.

"Thank you for being accepting Mr West I-" Cat spoke up.

"_How could I be anything but?_" He asked. "_I know you two will treat each other well and that baby is lucky to have you._"

"You're the best, Dad," Jade spoke up.

"_Anything for you Jadelyn_." He smiled at his daughter. "_I know we've not always been the closest, hell we're over 5,000 miles apart as we speak, but I will do whatever I can to make you happy. It's what your Mother would have wanted."_

"If... if the baby's a girl, we're going to name her after Mom," Jade told him. "It was Cat's idea."

_"Really?"_ Jade's Dad's eyes lit up. "_When do you find out the gender?_"

"My 5 month check up is in under two weeks," Cat told him. "Would you like us to tell you when we find out?"

"_I'd like that._"

"We'd like that too," Cat replied, giving Jade's hand a squeeze.


	25. Chapter 25

That week had passed pretty quickly, and before Cat and Jade knew it, it was the day before school would start again. The Christmas break had gone too fast for anyone's liking, and it was as if New Years Day had never happened at all. They were certainly not looking forward to going back to the stress that was Senior year, but the upcoming 5-month checkup gave them something else to focus on before then.

"How're you feeling?" Jade asked Cat on the morning of said checkup, shortly before they were about to leave the house.

"A little nervous," Cat admitted, a hand rested on her now 5-month bump, which was at the size that was now harder to hide, even under baggy clothes.

"Your first checkup told us they were healthy, I'm sure we'll get the same news back this time," Jade told her, placing her hands over Cat's.

"It's just that I haven't felt any movement yet-" Cat began. "I'm meant to between 16 and 25 weeks."

"You're only 21 weeks, there's still time," Jade reassured her, leaning forward and giving her a quick kiss. "I'm more worried about you than the baby, you've been constantly tired since your last check-up and throwing up more than you should be."

"No, I haven't." Cat replied quickly.

"You've thrown up least once every day," Jade said honestly. "I'm going to bring that up to the doctor."

"Go ahead, I swear I'm fine," Cat told her.

"You don't swear," Jade smirked.

"I _promise _I'm fine then." Cat retorted.

"And I promise the baby is fine too," Jade replied.

"You excited to find out the gender?" Cat asked, changing the subject slightly.

"I'm happy either way." Jade shrugged. "But I know you want a girl."

"I just want a healthy baby," Cat told her.

"Me too," Jade spoke up.

* * *

After a car-ride and agonising wait in the Maternity Ward waiting room; the girls were in the doctor's office. Once again, it was Jade's family doctor performing the check-up, making pleasantries as they got comfortable. First came the questions, anything notable during the pregnancy. As she said she would, Jade brought up Cat's constant fatigue and nausea. "It's nothing." Cat tried to tell him.

"It could be nothing, but chances are it is anaemia (low iron in the blood). I'll do a blood test in a minute to check." He informed her.

"Nope." Cat shook her head quickly. "No needles, I'm fine, it's nothing."

"You needed to have a blood test anyway-" The doctor told her. "It's required at the 5-month appointment."

"Oh..." Cat mumbled, rubbing her arm out of instinct. "I don't like needles."

"It won't hurt." The doctor informed her. "But I need to do a few other tests first, starting with a blood pressure test." He added, picking up a soft upper-arm cuff.

About 15 minutes later, Cat's blood pressure was measured: a little high but not too much to worry about. Her weight was measured, 120lbs, which didn't sound like much but Cat started off pretty light to begin with. He carried out a few more test to check for any sign of anaemia, such as measuring her heartbeat and breath strength. Next came the blood test itself which, with Cat's hand tightly clasped around Jade's, went pretty smoothly and ended up 'not hurting that much'. The doctor informed them that her results would come back in a few days, but from what she'd told him about consistent headaches, fatigue, nausea, a slightly irregular heartbeat and shortness of breath after her test, chances were the results would come back positive. At first, Cat started to panic, thinking it would be a problem for the baby, but the doctor reassured her that he would prescribe her with iron supplements to take daily and then she would be fine.

"Can we do the ultrasound now?" Cat asked eagerly as the final test was over.

"Of course." The doctor replied, turning on the ultrasound machine and applied the gel. As before, Cat laid down on the examination table and lifted her hoodie over her baby bump, there were a few stretch marks across it at this point, but what would you expect from a pregnant woman? As soon as the probe was on Cat's belly, there was a clear image of the side profile of the baby on the screen. Its features were easily distinguishable from each other, its little nose on its face, its hand by its head, the little fingers too. "They look to be around 7 inches long and 10oz, which is exactly what is expected." He informed the girls, moving the probe around Cat's stomach.

As he continued, he listed off a few more things such as: the placement of the placenta, the proportion of the baby's body parts, checking for any obvious deformities (luckily there were none), the pace of the heartbeat, each limb length, and a few more things before concluding that 'everything seemed healthy and as it should be' but he would still have Cat's blood checked concerning low iron levels.

"Now that the testing and measuring is over-" The doctor began. "-would you like to know the gender?"

"Yes please." Cat and Jade replied simultaneously, both sets of eyes lighting up at the same time.

"It's a girl." He informed them, smiling at their happiness.

"YES!" Jade yelled, jumping to her feet. "I knew it!".

"A girl," Cat repeated through a broad smile, sitting upright on the examination table.

"I'm guessing that was what you wanted." The doctor said.

"We just had our suspicions that it was a girl," Jade told him. "I mean, Cat's so girly that she probably isn't even capable of producing a son." She joked.

"I think deep down, you wanted a girl really," Cat spoke up.

"The idea of a little you is too adorable to pass up." Jade shrugged.

"Do you have any names yet?" The doctor asked after turning off the ultrasound and collecting Cat's paperwork.

"Ellie, short for Elizbeth," Cat told him. "We don't have a middle name yet though."

"You still have 4 months to decide, there's no need to rush it." The doctor replied, before concluding the appointment. "I do believe that is all. Your blood test will be sent off and I will call you within a few days with the results."

"Thank you," Cat told him, sliding off of the examination bed and walking out of the room with Jade. As soon as the door closed behind them, Cat squealed with joy, wrapping her arms around Jade. "A daughter." She whispered to Jade.

"A daughter," Jade repeated, quickly kissing Cat's lips. "We're going to have a daughter."

"I can't wait to put her in little dresses and headbands." Cat giggled, removing her arm's from Jade's torso and instead intertwining their hands as they walked out of the hospital. "She's going to look so cute in all her little outfits."

"You're going to totally spoil her aren't you," Jade said, shaking her head at Cat's antics.

"Like you aren't." Cat retorted. "I'll give it a week before she has you wrapped around her finger. You may act tough sometimes, but deep down you're a big softie."

"You made me a softie." Jade shrugged.

"Guilty as charged." Cat smiled cheekily.


	26. Chapter 26

The next day was the first day back at school and Cat was feeling very self-conscious. Over the Christmas break, her bump had grown to the point that it was quite noticeable, even under her huge hoodies, and the only way to disguise it was by filling her front pockets to weigh down the fabric to stretch out.

As she walked through the hallways; she was the epitome of anxious. Every time she saw people whispering to each other or laughing near her, she automatically thought it was about her and that they'd noticed the bump. The anxiety was like being hooked up to a cattle fence - not enough voltage to kill but sufficient to keep things uncomfortable. In reality, no one had even noticed her, too focused about greeting friends they'd missed over the break.

Her fingers were wrapped into Jade's hand, feeling how warm and comforting her fingers were. When Jade turned Cat's way to smile, the gesture gave Cat some reassurance and motivation to perk up her false confidence. She knew at some point she would need to tell people about the baby, especially as the bump was growing, but she just wasn't ready to. Hell- she hadn't even told Beck, Robbie and Andre yet, she was too scared. She was sure they would be supportive, but a part of her just wouldn't let herself do it. In all honesty, she was surprised they hadn't worked it out for themselves yet.

"Hey guys!" Tori's voice rang out as she approached Cat and Jade.

"Hi." Jade nodded curtly.

"Hey." Cat replied, forcing out a smile to cover her internal nerves. "How was your Christmas?" She asked.

"Same as normal I guess." Tori shrugged. "The break from school was nice, but Trina's week-long mope about 'not getting exactly what she wanted' was a bit of a drag. My Mom and Dad decided to go to Hawaii next week, they say it's unrelated by I have my doubts." She joked. "How about you two? Your first Christmas as a couple." She winked.

"Jadey brought me a ring!" Cat beamed suddenly, holding out the hand with the diamond-incrested ring that her girlfriend had brought her. That ring meant the worlds to her, not because of what it was made of or how much it cost, but the promise it held. A promise of love, kind of love that puts you before anyone else, the kind that makes you look beyond the darkness - to the bright light of hope and solidarity.

"A...a ring?" Tori stuttered, wide-eyed. "Are you engaged?"

"It's a promise ring." Cat cleared up.

"You honestly think that I'd propose with a ring that small?" Jade spoke up, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I'd count that as quite a big ring, to be honest." Tori shrugged, looking at the 3 diamonds on the silver band.

"You have a terrible perception of what 'big' is. That doesn't reflect on Andre too well does it?" Jade commented, smirking at the innuendo.

"Jadey!" Cat scolded lightly as she saw Tori get visibly uncomfortable. "Tori's right, the ring's a perfect size."

"So... I... um." Tori stuttered, blushing slightly, trying to think of a change of topic. "You're having a girl then." She said to Cat, a smile upon her face, recalling the news from a text conversation from the day before.

"Shhh." Cat shushed her, not wanting anyone else in the hallway to overhear. "But yes." She smiled back.

"From your text messages from yesterday, you seem excited," Tori replied.

"We are," Cat told her, squeezing her hand around Jade's. "We were thinking of shopping for baby stuff next weekend, do you want to join us?"

"Really?" Tori asked. "I'd love to."

"Urghhhh." Jade sighed. "Does she have to come?"

"Think of it as someone else to help carry the bags," Tori told her, already excited for the upcoming weekend, not caring about Jade's comments.

"Fine," Jade grumbled.

"Yay! We'll be hanging out together." Cat interrupted in her normal perky tone, always looking at the positives. "Just us girls."

* * *

The week passed incredibly quickly with nothing notable happening. The only thing worth mentioning was that Cat's blood test came back positive, but that only resulted in an 'I told you so' from Jade and some iron supplements that Cat needed to take each morning. Cat couldn't help but admit that her symptoms had definitely improved over the week, which made Jade feel very smug about being right once again. She was able to get through a whole day without falling asleep in class or curled up against Jade, and could get up out of bed without vomiting. And though Jade missed the frequency cuddles they had when Cat fell asleep, it was nice to see her girlfriend back to her usual high-energy levels.

Either way, the week of school had passed quickly and before they knew it Jade, Cat and Tori were in the car driving to some furniture stores for a baby-related shopping spree. Now that they knew it was a girl, they knew how to decorate the nursery and what colours it would be. This eventually led to the three girls making their way through an abundance of adorably set-up nursery shops while Jade spent quite a bit of money. Every time they brought something new, Cat couldn't help but feel slightly guilty about the amount of money they were wracking up, but Jade profusely reminded her that she had more than enough money and how the baby 'deserved only the best'. This obviously resulted in Tori pointing out that the baby wasn't even born yet and Jade was already spoiling her.

A few hours after they'd arrived at the first store, the 3 girls were eventually too tired to continue shopping and retreated back to the car with a long list of items to be delivered to Jade and Cat's house over the next few days. It was decided that the nursery walls would be pastel pink with one white accent wall. The future they brought was all-white with some natural wood colour incorporated into the designs and wooden/wicker storage basket inserts which matched. Personally, Jade wanted to go for a dark-coloured room, maybe black or dark grey, but after some reminders from Cat that this was, in fact, a nursery, so she gave in.

Despite being right about Cat's iron levels, the goth was wrong about how the day would play out with Tori joining them, as she ended up having a decent time. Tori and Jade had definitely never been close, but Cat was slowly bringing them together, and a shopping trip out was a large step in the right direction. They both wanted to help Cat with the future endeavours and would do anything to make things easier for her, even if that meant putting a 2-year long feud behind them.

"What even is a RITVA?" Tori read from the recipient, from their quick stop to IKEA giggling to herself in the backseat of Jade's car as they headed back from Burbank. Her pronunciation was terrible, but in all fairness, she doesn't speak Swedish.

"I have no idea," Cat said from the passenger seat, also giggling at the Swedish name.

"Please never visit Sweden," Jade commented, focused on the road in front of her. "They don't deserve to hear that horrible accent."

"You aren't one to talk, I've heard you in Spanish class." Tori retorted, her eyes still skimming down the IKEA receipt.

"Just because you've grown up speaking it," Jade replied bluntly.

"No es mi culpa. (_It's not my fault_)" Tori replied, shrugging.

"You know I have no idea what you just said," Jade told her, looking at Tori through the rear-view mirror.

"That's the point," Tori smirked, still looking down at the recipe. "Okay, they've gotta be making these up, what the hell is a FLISAT?"

"Ooh, I like this song!" Cat interrupted as she reached forward and turned up the dial on the radio of Jade's car, which had been playing music a very low level before suddenly crescendo-ing into a deafening racket.

"Too loud!" Jade yelled over the noise, leaning over to turn it down.

"Sorry!" Cat yelled over the noise as Jade turned the dial to a more appropriate volume.

At that moment, they had been approaching an intersection. Being an observant driver, Jade had checked that the lights on their end were green before taking a part of her focus away from the road and onto the radio dial. But, no matter how observant one may be, in that instant she lost the opportunity to evade a car that was screeching across the intersection perpendicular to them, jumping the red light from its side. Even if Jade had been paying 100 per cent attention she would have been hard-pressed to make the manoeuvre. As it was she barely had time to scream before the impact flung her body backwards and then forwards, her face hitting the sterling wheel, pain erupting as if every nerve was screaming as her nose crumpled and broke.

The crash seemed to take forever; as adrenaline coursed through Jade's system. She could see there was no hope to avoid the impact. The other car had smashed right into the side of Jade's car's bonnet. She couldn't do anything as her car was skimming along the road. Braking wouldn't help, it was like falling off a cliff just enough time to regret what you did, but not enough time for anyone to help you or try to try and create a parachute from your clothes.

Suddenly the car was rolling over, lights swirled like crazy Catherine-wheels and the noise of the metal being bashed over the concrete was almost deafening. The car had flipped so many times that Jade had become disorientated before she even sustained the concussion that had her drifting in and out of consciousness. She was fleetingly aware of the bloody taste in her mouth but she couldn't figure out what it was. There was a pain in her arm too, like it wasn't there but very much was at the same time- somewhat disconnected from the rest of her. Then, as quickly as the noise began, it came to an absolute stop. Silence; it scared Jade more than the pain. Shouldn't Cat or Tori have been moaning or calling out? She tried to move but she was pinned by the collapsed steering column. Her neck was too fragile to move...

Jade's eyelids fluttered closed, before slowly opening again, then resting shut. She was unsure how long it was between each movement, but she did know it hurt like hell. She prefered to be unconscious rather than awake. Because when she was awake she could taste the coppery blood pooling in her mouth. She could feel it grazing her teeth and soaking her tongue. She saw the spots in the corners of her vision, making her head feel like the only thing inside of it was static. She heard a buzzing noise, filling her ears. It felt like she was there for hours, fading and waking and fading and waking.

Someone had to help soon. They were in the middle of LA for God's sake, in a busy intersection at that. Slowly, she tried to move her neck but quickly realized how futile it was when she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. Sharp pain laced through her head and colourful spots flashed in front of her eyes, it felt like her whole body had been beaten and every movement caused some muscle or bone to ache. Regardless, she needed to get out of there.

Wincing in pain she started to try and move, extra careful to not to place her hands on the glass that littered her surroundings. Slowly, she rolled her head to the right, where Cat was. Her eyes tried to focus on Cat but they just couldn't. All Jade could see was an airbag covering most of Cat's body and her head rested at an awkward angle. Jade tried to move to reach her, but she just couldn't.

Suddenly, there was sound again, flooding through her ears all at once. "Hello?" A voice spoke out, a deep male voice. "Hello?" It repeated, being followed by the sound of the car door being pulled open. Slowly, Jade moved her neck back to her left, making eye-contact with the person outside of it. From what she could tell, the man was young, maybe in his late 20s. "Are you hurt?" He asked, before backtracking his words." Of course, you're hurt." He told himself. "I saw the crash, I'm here to help you out." He explained, carefully reaching across Jade's fragile body and undoing her seatbelt. "Can you talk?" He asked.

Jade's mouth opened but no words came out, she couldn't move, she couldn't talk. She could only see through blurred eyes and hear through muffled ears. Her brain was barely working but even if it was, her body wouldn't have co-operated. Taking Jade's silence for an answer, the man very carefully lifted Jade's body out of the car. Jade let out a quiet whimper as the man's arms made contact with her body. "I'm sorry." He mumbled, trying hard to be careful. "I need to get you out of here." Even slower than before, he wrapped his arms under Jade's body and lifted her out of the wreck that was once her car. The goth squirmed and whimpered in his arms as the pain erupted throughout her body, blood still pooling in her mouth. It was only for a few moments though, as he quickly laid her fragile body on the side of the road. From what Jade could tell, there were a fair few people gathered around the car, looking onto the wreckage. The other car didn't seem to be near as damaged as hers, and there was a man stood by it, seemingly okay. That was just the epitome of unfair. "My friend has called for an ambulance-" Jade's saviour told her as he helped her to sit upright, as to not choke on the blood in her mouth. "-and others are getting your friends out of the car. What's your name?" He asked.

It took Jade a few moments to find her words, her mind spinning and blood still in her mouth, though a few spluttered coughs sorted that out. "J...Jade... J...Jade." She stuttered, struggling into remembering. "West... Jade... West... I think." It hurt so much to talk, as if her lungs were completely restricting her breath, failing at their only function. The words didn't come out right either, her broken nose restricting the airflow through it.

At around this time, the man's friend, who had called for an ambulance, approached them, still on the phone to the operator. "Tell them her name is Jade West." The first man said to his friend, who relayed this information down the phone.

"And your friends?" He asked.

"F...freinds?" Jade asked, too disorientated to remember anything, trying to collect her breath and thoughts.

"The two other girls in the car?" The man asked her. "I couldn't get a good look but one has red hair." He said, trying to jog Jade's memory.

"Cat!" She said, her eyes lighting up in recollection.

"Cat? Is there a cat in the car too?" The man asked. "Or is that her name?"

"Name," Jade replied quickly, the 'm' coming out as more like a 'b' sound, adrenaline quickly filling her system, pushing aside all the pain. Cat was in danger and she needed to help her. "I need to... I need." She mumbled, trying to push herself up. As soon as her right arm made contact with the ground to support her, she felt it completely buckle, pain erupting from her shoulder. Jade couldn't help but cry out as the man stopped her from falling, grasping his hand around the painful spot.

"Jade, you need to stay sat down please." The man told her, carefully moving his hand from Jade's shoulder. "We just need to wait for the ambulance. Your friends will be okay." As he spoke, another man approached, walking slowly as he carried someone in his arms. From the red hair draped over his shoulder, it was clearly Cat. As he got closer, Jade tried more to find her way to her feet, still coughing and spluttering blood. "Thank you." Jade's carrier told Cat's, as Cat was lowered to the ground beside where Jade was.

"C...cat." Jade stuttered, looking at Cat's unconscious frame a few feet away from her. Her natural golden skin has sunken in tone to something so lifeless it scared Jade just to look at her. Her eyes were closed as if she'd sucked herself into a deeper place to cope. "Cat!" She called out, reaching out her left arm and grasping her hand around Cat's cold one. "CAT!" She screamed. All of Jade's pain was suddenly gone as she focused on Cat. The love of her life. She'd lost her mother to a drunk driver induced car crash and she was not ready to lose Cat and Tori to a similar fate. Tori. "Where is... where... Tori?" Jade yelled, between staggered breaths, to the men beside her.

"The other girl?" The man asked. Shortly after, Jade's question was answered as Tori's equally lifeless body was lowered beside Cat's by a third bystander. Her arm was loose by her side, clearly broken from the angle it was at, but apart from the scratches and bruises, she looked okay, just unconscious. Despite this, Jade was still trying to scramble to her feet to reach them. "Jade, the ambulance will be here soon." The man tried to calm her, holding her back.

"But Cat..." Jade mumbled, her eyes filling with tears, she was still sat down on the ground, despite her brain's protests, telling her to stand up.

"She's going to be okay. They're both breathing." Another man told her.

Jade's eyes scanned over her unconscious girlfriend's, her body still laying mere feet away. Her eyes travelled from Cat's face, down her body, finally resting on her stomach, specifically the bump that was slightly hidden by her large hoodie. "The baby..." Jade mumbled, the realisation flooding through her mind."The baby!" She screamed, using every ounce of energy she had to pull her frail body towards Cat, practically diving over to her.

"The baby?" A man asked, panicked, about to rush back to the car to find the infant.

Jade ignored every inch of pain as she yanked up the hem of Cat's hoodie to reveal the bump, it was still there. Wait, where else would it be? Having a bump didn't mean the baby was okay. As quickly as she could, Jade searched for any sign of injury to the baby. No cuts on Cat's skin around her stomach. No blood. The baby had to be okay, right? There could have been an impact though. Still panicked, Jade placed her hand on Cat's bump for any sort of movement. None, nothing. But then again, Cat hadn't felt any yet so that didn't- _kick_. Jade gasped. The baby had kicked against her hand. That was her first kick, well as far as Jade knew. _Kick_. Again. The baby was okay, it was kicking. Wait, was kicking good or bad? It might've been kicking to signal it needed help. With her spinning mind- Jade couldn't tell what was good or bad.

Suddenly, Jade couldn't hear the ambulances coming. She could only make out 2 blurred shapes through her unfocused eyes. The blue lights that parts crowds of cars as a knife that cleaves cleanly through melted butter, its mere presence signifying the misfortune of another, the sight that causes people to pray regardless of religion. People moved out of the way as paramedics barreled towards the three girls. A pair of strong hands pulled Jade to her feet but her eyes didn't move from Cat and Tori, whose bodies were being channelled onto a stretcher and into the ambulance. Paramedics began to fire questions at Jade, but as the pain slowly came back, her mind was spinning rapidly again and she once again couldn't focus, any coherence once again lost.

If it were even possible, Jade went paler than normal, as if she'd been painted with white-wash - even her lips were barely there. It was as if her heart had suddenly stopped beating and all the blood had run down into her boots. She swayed in place for just a moment before she crumpled like a puppet suddenly released of their strings. As if they expected it, one of the paramedics caught her mid-fall and lowered her to the ground. It wasn't long before Jade was carried into the ambulance too and the flashing blue lights guided them the whole way to the hospital, leaving the wreckage behind.

A day that had been going so well was now ruined.


	27. Chapter 27

With Jade's Dad in Europe, Tori's parents on holiday and Hawaii, and Cat's family cutting all contact with her, the only people to turn up to the hospital were Beck, Andre and Robbie. To add on the already unfortunate day, the lack of parents was just another stroke of bad luck.

When Beck got the phone call telling him that the girls were hurt, he dropped everything to get the other two boys, who did the same, and together they practically raced to the hospital. They had little information to go off of, just that all three were unconscious but stable.

From what the doctor briefly told Beck down the phone line: Tori had seemingly braced for impact by raising her arms when the cars collided, saving her face from smashing into the back of Jade's seat, but breaking her arm instead. There was, however, still sign of concussion, presumably from when the car flipped. Jade had a deep cut on her forehead which had required stitches, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken nose which had caused the blood in her mouth. Luckily for Cat, her airbag had managed to deploy, so that took a lot of the crash force off of her, but it wasn't enough to prevent the linear hairline fracture on her skull and whiplash that came with it. Along with all that, all 3 of girls had lacerations and bruises littering their bodies from the car's debris.

To say the boys were panicked and shocked would be an understatement. As soon as they made it into the hospital waiting room, Andre had rushed forward to the Receptionist, practically begging her to let them into the room. "I'm sorry-" The lady at the reception desk began. "-but none of you are family and therefore I can not allow you into the room until one of the girls has awakened."

"But I'm Jade's emergency contact number," Beck informed her, explaining how he'd received the call in the first place. "That's got to count for something."

"Which is why you have been informed on their states, but you are still not allowed in until one of the girls has woken up." The receptionist repeated.

"Then can you update me on anything that has happened since I was initially called?" Beck asked, trying to stay calm in a very stressful situation.

"That I can do." The lady smiled sympathetically at him while checking the files on the computer in front of her and reading them off to the boys. "All three girls are still unconscious from their head traumas but seem to be on the path to waking up within the few hours. All their injuries will heal naturally without the need for surgery." She paused for the boys to take in the information, each of them sighing in relief as they did so. "They are all expected to have a concussion and will need constant monitoring for any signs of memory loss once they are awake, but apart from that all 3 girls and baby seem to be okay."

"B...baby?" Andre stuttered, suddenly dry-mouthed.

"What baby?" Robbie echoed, his voice suddenly an octave higher than normal.

"There has to be a mistake, none of them are pregnant," Beck told her. "Who does it say is pregnant?" He asked, unable to hide the disbelief in his voice, trying to catch a glimpse at the computer screen.

"I...I don't feel that it is my place to break that news to you boys, clearly, the mother wanted to keep that a secret." The woman began to mumble to herself, regretting what she had just told them.

"B...b...but." Andre began to stutter, running a hand through his dreadlocks.

"I'm very sorry boys. Once the girls have woken up I am sure they will find a way to tell you." The lady told them, once again smiling sympathetically before turning back to her computer as a way to end the conversation.

"You... you need to-" Andre started, his voice shaking so much that the words were barely even words.

"Come on man." Beck cut him off, lightly grabbing the back of Andre's shirt and pulling him to sit down on one of the empty chairs in the corner of the waiting room.

"Holy Chiz," Andre swore under his breath as he lowered himself onto one of the hard waiting room chairs, already holding his head in his hands as the news sunk into him. "P...pregnant?" He stuttered. When he spoke his voice trailed slowly, like his words are unwilling to take flight.

"What's wrong man?" Beck asked, taking the seat beside Andre and placing a comforting hand on the other boy's back. "I know this is big news but why are you reacting like this?" Andre's reaction was borderline dramatic, even Robbie seemed to be taking the news well, just biting down on his nails and fidgeting in place.

"You don't get it, do you?" Andre snapped, lifting his head from his hands to look Beck in the eyes. His comment and tone was so out of character, so far from the calm and collected Andre that Beck had grown to know, leaving the Canadian to just stare at him open-mouthed. Realising that he would have to explain it, Andre continued. "Cat and Jade are dating each other right?" He started.

"Yeah? And?" Beck asked, really not understanding what Andre was getting at.

"Two girls can't have a kid together-" Andre continued. "Meaning they can't get each other pregnant." He paused briefly as the thoughts flooded through his own mind. "That leaves Tori... Tori's dating me... Tori has to be the pregnant one... that kid's gotta be mine."

Neither Robbie or Beck could respond as the final pieces of the puzzle connected in their minds. "Holy crap," Beck swore, his brain formulating no thoughts other than to register that he was shocked. He closed his mouth, just looking down in shock.

"Now do you get why I'm reacting like this?!" Andre shot at him, his whole body shaking.

"That is only an idea." Robbie started, trying to think of a way to comfort him. "It could still be Jade or Cat, from a past relationship or something."

"No way." Beck cut him off quickly. "Don't get me thinking that I knocked Jade up a few months ago or something, besides we would have noticed a bump by now."

"It's gotta be Tori..." Andre mumbled his head back in his hands.

"Do you think you're ready for a kid?" Beck asked.

"Hell no!" Andre told him honestly. "We have plans to go to Julliard... we'll never get in with a kid... I... I can't just ditch her though, I'm not that kinda guy... I..." His brain stuttered for a moment and his eyes take in more light than he expected, every part of his goes on pause while his thoughts catch up. "I'll talk to her when she wakes up." He said slowly. "Until then, I should be thinking about her... if she is okay from this crash."

"Good idea," Beck told him, patting him on the back as a mutual silence overtook them.

* * *

Robbie stared at the black-framed wait-room wall clock for the ninth time that hour, scrutinizing the second hand, which seemed to linger an extra minute at every passing second. He took his gaze off of the clock, silently vowing to not look at it once more until absolutely necessary, and returned to the only past-time he could think off, fiddling with a loose thread from his trousers. He flicked the thin thread between his fingers, tide it into another small knot and sighed loudly. After scanning his eyes back down to the ground in defeat, he reluctantly glanced at the clock as the second hand continued to move in its persistent manner. His concentration was disrupted by the sudden sound of a door swinging open, and his eyes shifted to it to see a young woman in her 30s stepping out. He immediately rose from the edge of the chair at the same time as Beck and Andre did. She smiled lightly at them and curtly informed them that "Jade West is awake and wishes to see you." Resulting in the three boys' eyes lighting up brighter than young children in a candy store. The woman told them to follow as she spun around and led the boys down a corridor, the rhythm of her heels clicking against the hard concrete floor, echoing off the dove-coloured walls. Above the ceiling was made from those polystyrene squares laid on a grid-like frame. There were commercial prints on the wall, tasteful in the dull kind of way. Above every door they passed was a large plastic sign, dark with white lettering- no fancy fonts, just bold and all-caps.

They finally reached the door they were looking for, brown and dull like all the others, but from the outside one could already see people inside. "Well, here we are," the woman smiled kindly and opened the door wider. Doctors and nurses surrounded the three hospital beds, checking their IV, heart monitors and oxygen, two of the beds occupied by an unconscious Tori and Cat, the third by a tilted-upright Jade. The walls of the room were simply cream, not peeling or dirty, just cream. The air had an undertone of bleach and the floor was simply grey. An old TV set hung from the ceiling. A window giving a view of the world below was just beneath the screen. In the corner were two chairs, frayed with wear and tear. It was a typical hospital room, sparse and functional.

The image of Cat and Tori just laying there was an image that would never leave the boy's minds. They both looked so pale and ill- both with nose cannulas supplying them with oxygen, IV drips on their arms and small cuts littering their open skin. Tori had one arm covered in a white cast, from elbow to hand to support the break, while Cat a white bandage wrapped around her head. The boy's presumed that the latter was acting more as a reminder to be careful around her head rather than treatment as her fracture was the only hairline and was therefore already held in place. Jade, despite being awake, didn't look too much better.

"Guys!" The goth smiled, looking past the doctor beside her and towards where the three boys were stood in the doorway, looking genuinely relieved to see them. Her forehead was bandaged, with blood slightly seeping through it, a smaller support bandage across her nose, and her right arm in a sling strapped tight to her chest. In her other arm was an IV to administer pain relief and on her finger a clip linked to a quietly beeping heart-rate monitor.

"Jade!" Beck replied in an equal tone as he and Robbie quickly walked over to Jade's bed.

"Miss West seems to be exhibiting no sign of memory loss but call if anything happens." One doctor said curtly as he and the others left the room, leaving only the Hollywood Arts teens inside.

"How are you feeling?" Beck asked Jade as he and Robbie stood by her bed.

"A little sore to be honest," Jade mumbled, slowly raising her hand to her bandaged forehead "And my mind won't stop spinning."

"I bet," Robbie spoke up, trying (and failing) to comfort her, "You've got quite a few injuries."

"Thanks for the reminder," Jade told him, tears brimming her eyes. As soon as she noticed it, she raised her hand and wiped them away, ordering her body to fall in line- to stay strong and brave. "I just feel so guilty you know, I was the one behind the wheel."

"It wasn't your fault, it was the maniac who jumped that red light," Beck told her.

"I...I guess." Jade mumbled, looking along the bed to her feet. She was trying so hard to stay strong. Normally, Jade was was one of those people that was impossible to read, but it was as if her barriers had just fallen around her. One could see it in her eyes and drooping posture that she was sad -scrap that, she was devastated.

"T...Tori Baby-" Andre's voice interrupted, ringing out from the bed across the room, where Tori was laying. "T...Tori, please wake up."

"She'll be okay Andre-" Jade started, carefully turning her sore neck to face him "-her arm can heal and she'll be awake soon I promise." She tried to comfort him, though it wasn't clear if it was for her own mentality or Andre's.

"It...it's not that," Andre mumbled, his eyes not moving away from his girlfriend's frail body.

"What then?" Jade said in a slight panic, the quiet beeps from her heart rate monitor suddenly spiking. "Did something else happen to her in the crash?"

"N...no." Andre stuttered. "I..I'm not sure if she told you."

"Andre, the nurse might have been wrong remember." Robbie tried to cut in.

"What is happening?" Jade half-yelled, trying to get a grasp on the situation. The rise in volume did not help her headache at all, but she needed to get her point across.

"Tori's...Tori is pregnant." Andre's voice rang out.

"HUH?!" Jade yelled, unable to stop herself. "How is she... HUH?!"

"She _might_ be pregnant," Beck reminded. "The nurse, she said that 'all three girls and baby' were okay. There was no specific reference to who was pregnant."

"Oh..." Jade mumbled, realising the mistake in their conclusion.

"You and Cat are dating each other-" Andre continued, once again tell Beck as to why his hypothesis was right. "-so it's gotta be Tori's baby, and therefore mine."

"It's not Tori." Jade interrupted quickly. She knew that Cat would hate her for this, but it had to be done.

"It's not you is it?" Beck said, wide-eyed, backing away slowly. "'Cause I'm the last guy you were with..." His voice trailed away as he talked.

"Do you see a baby bump?" Jade asked, motioning to her flat stomach, and then grimacing from the pain of her sudden movement.

"That's what I thought," Robbie spoke up. "It has to be Tori 'cause if it were you or Cat then you would have been far along and we would have noticed a bump."

"I hate to tell you that you're not as observant as you thought," Jade said slowly, taking a deep breath to think about what she was about to say. She knew that Cat would hate her for telling the boys, but they would find out at some point anyway, and if she didn't speak up now then Tori would have one hell of a shock when she wakes up to Andre telling her she's pregnant. "Take one look at Cat quickly." She said bluntly, as it was all she could think of.

"What would that do- oh my god." Robbie gasped as if it was an unintentional reflex of shock. The doctors had removed Cat's hoodie for the x-ray, leaving her in only an undershirt. Adding the thin hospital sheets on top gave a little coverage, but when you were looking for it, you could definitely still see the baby bump.

The three boys just stood in silence for a few moments, looking at the smallest member of their friendship group. She was laying as still as a statue, apart from the slight rise and fall from her chest as the nasal cannula provided oxygen to her lungs. "S...so it's not Tori?" Andre clarified the first to speak up, colour starting to return to his slightly ashen skin.

"No." Jade shook her head. "It's definitely Cat."

"How the hell did we miss that?!" Beck near yelled, walking over to Cat's bed to get a better look at her baby bump.

"Baggy hoodies," Jade said bluntly. Ever since she'd woken up her head was absolutely pounding, despite the painkillers in her system, and Beck's yelling didn't help. The more she talked the more the pain came back, like a crushing pain just on one side of her head that came and went in a pattern. She raised her hand to her head and lightly placed it over the bandaged gash on her forehead where most of the pain was radiating from.

"How far along is she?" Beck asked, his tone quieter now after realising the effects of his yelling.

"5 months," Jade told him.

"F...five?" Robbie repeated, completely shocked over how they'd managed to miss it that long.

"Uhuh," Jade mumbled, unable to continue the conversation any longer. By now the pain felt like someone had taken a knife to her skull, using a smaller dagger to push into her broken nose. She leant her head back into the pillow, slowly reaching to the bed control to tilt her self into a less angled position. Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed the pain to go away. The rest of the world became detached, all she could concentrate on was the pain rooted deep in her head.

"Do you want us to call a doctor?" Beck asked, walking close to Jade.

"N...no." She stuttered. "I'll be okay."

"Okay," Beck replied, taking a step away from her bed to sit in one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Robbie had migrated to Cat's bed, still in shock over the recent news, and Andre was still sat beside his girlfriend, internally thankful that his previous thoughts were wrong. It's not that he didn't want kids or like the idea of a baby- he was happy for Cat but it just wasn't the right time for him, and he was thankful that the time hadn't come yet.


	28. Chapter 28

After about 15 minutes of near silence, Jade's pain levels had regulated to something more bearable. Within that quarter of an hour: a doctor had walked in to check each of the girl's vitals and record how they were doing, the boys had rotated constantly between the three girl's beds, and the four conscious teens were starting to get worried over why Cat and Tori were still asleep.

"I'm sure they'll be awake soon," Beck said for the umpteenth time, his statement previously being directed at both Andre and Jade who had been constantly checking on Tori and Cat's wellbeings. Robbie, on the other hand, seemed to have decided that distracting himself by sitting in the corner was a better way to cope. Everyone reacts differently I guess. "They'll be okay Jade," Beck repeated as his ex-girlfriend opened her mouth to talk.

"That's not what I was going to say," Jade told him, sitting upright in the bed so that she actually talk to him. "I was just thinking about something- how did you even find out we were hurt?" She asked. None of them were conscious enough to call him on the phone, in fact, Jade had the feeling that her phone was still in her bag in the car- possibly wrecked too.

"I'm your emergency contact on your medical file," Beck told her, slightly confused as to why, but grateful he was or otherwise he would be completely unaware to the crash.

"I forgot about that," Jade mumbled to herself.

"Why am I your emergency contact?" Beck asked, genuinely curious.

"With Dad in Europe and the rest of my family dead, I needed people to put on there so I put you and Cat, obviously Cat was in no state to pick up the phone," Jade admitted, it was moments like this where she had a harsh reminder over how many people she had lost in her life... and how she'd almost lost Cat too. As soon as that thought came into her mind, she pushed it away again, unable to cope with it in her weakened state.

"Oh." Was the only thing Beck could reply with, the room returning back to silence once again, a void of sound the shallowness of their conversation was laid bare in. Normally, the teens could joke together for hours, talking about everything from intellectual banter of politics to comedic moments of complete idiocy. But this was no place for laughs and jokes or laugher. 3 out of 6 of the group were in hospital beds and 2 out of 6 were unconscious... though that ratio was about to slightly improve.

A quiet groan suddenly echoed through the room, followed by the subtle sound of bed fabric moving. "Cat!" Jade yelled, noticing that the sound was coming from her slowly awakening girlfriend.

The yell had shaken Cat suddenly into reality. Her eyes opened, her eyelashes faintly batting against her lids when she blinked. Closed her eyes and blinked again. It was chaos in her head; she didn't know where she was. How did she get there? Her eyes were open but not focused, moving randomly as she tried to study the room, pushing herself slightly upright on the bed. Her muscles felt weak, just like her energy. What time was it? How long had she been asleep? Why was she asleep? All of these questions shot through her mind, along with a thousand other thoughts.

"Cat?" Beck's voice spoke softly, stood by the end of the bed and in Cat's eye line. The confused expression was clear to the boy, who decided to try and explain what had happened. "Cat, you're in the hospital." He said slowly, hoping she would understand.

Now she was awake, perhaps more fully awake than she'd ever been. She didn't understand. Her memory was blurred, the past a fading dream and nothing to prove if it was real. She didn't know why she was in the hospital. What happened - she just didn't know.

She opened her mouth to ask said question, pushing herself upright so that she could see more than just the ceiling. But that was probably the worse thing she could have done as suddenly a migraine struck, making Cat it's prisoner, leaving her quite helpless in her cage of pain. She was blinded with flashing colourful spots and craved darkness, quiet and stillness. The pain was suddenly throbbing so violently around her skull that she wondered why it didn't just crack open. She opened her mouth again- this time to scream, but once again that didn't happen. She was about to vomit. Luckily, or unluckily, months of morning sickness had trained her to keep it down, but she wasn't sure how long that would last. "Get her a sick bag!" Jade's voice carried out, realising it was the same expression her girlfriend always pulled before throwing up, knowing she wouldn't be able to get off of her bed fast enough to grab it.

"Here," Robbie said, grabbing a paper bag from beside Cat's bed and placing it under the redhead's nose.

Within moments of clutching her hands around the bag, the all too familiar feeling of rising bile filled Cat. As she coughed and spluttered into the bag, the boy's stomachs simultaneously lurched at the sight of the red-head choking on the bile forcing its way out of her mouth. Despite this, Beck knew it was best to comfort the red-head, lightly rubbing her back as she sat upright on the bed. And as soon as she stopped convulsing he took the bag and quickly placed it into the bin.

During this time, Jade was trying to make her way out of her own bed, but any fast moment just sent more pain would throb in her skull, blurred dots covering her vision. So, instead, she just watched on helplessly as Cat raised her hand to her temples, eyes clamped shut, her hand softly running over her head-bandage. "Huh?" She mumbled, running her hand over it again.

"It's a bandage," Robbie explained.

"Why?" Cat mumbled, moving her hands to get a sense of anything else that was on her body. It didn't take long for her to discover the nasal cannula and IV tube. Through this, her head was still pounding, she could barely remember who she was, let alone why she was there.

"Do you... do you not remember?" Jade spoke, slightly panicked that Cat had lost her memory.

"No, I- Jadey why are you in a hospital bed too?" Cat asked in shock, her mind finally connecting the dots that Jade was injured too. "And Tori?" She asked, looking at the bed on the other side of her, where an unconscious Tori still laid. "Are you hurt?" She questioned, trying to pull herself more upright, her vision swaying as she did so.

"Please stay still," Jade said softly, not wanting Cat to hurt herself. "I'm okay I promise."

"You look hurt," Cat mumbled, a sadness in her eyes, the brown too glossy. "Your nose is covered, your head is bleeding through a bandage-" She started to list, studying her girlfriend's rough appearance.

"All that matters is that you and the baby are okay," Jade told her honestly, flashing Cat a weak smile.

"The ba-" Cat cut herself off, eyes wide as her hand shot down to her baby bump, her pained mind suddenly remembering that she was, in fact, pregnant. "How did I forget about that?" She whispered to herself, mentally scolding herself, this baby should've been at the top of her mind but instead, she'd completely forgotten about it.

"It's because you've got a concussion," Beck explained.

"Y...you know a...about this?" Cat stuttered, realising that he'd overheard. Cat visibly tensed in anticipation of Beck's reaction. Even from an outsiders perspective, one could tell that her mind was fogged like she was frozen panic with nowhere to go. For a girl who acted like she didn't care what anyone else thought, deep down she was extremely self-conscious and always sort for the approval of others.

"Yes, Cat," Beck told her slowly. "We all know now and we're happy for you." There was a smile to his lips when he spoke, a gentleness. It was the smile of one who would rarely judge, and only then was to protect those who were close to him. One who would seek to understand, to show compassion, yet only giving this out to those who offered him the same respect. Cat was one of those people who did respect him, and through that mutual agreement, the two had sworn an oath of sorts, to be there for one another, to always be okay with one another - no judgement, unconditional acceptance.

"A... and you're okay with it?" She asked, her voice shaking, so many thoughts still racing through her mind.

"Why wouldn't we be Lil'Red?" Andre spoke up, smiling weakly at the girl. Like Beck, Andre was loyal to a T. He was the kind of person who lived how he believed people should as if he were sunshine that only radiated from the best aspects of those he met, their flaws entirely invisible to his gaze. Yet, most of all, he was a good friend.

"I-" Cat started, being cut off by the door opening, revealing the doctor on his usual rounds. As soon as the boys locked eyes with the man, they stepped out of his way, Andre heading towards Tori's bed and Robbie and Beck placing themselves back in the chairs in the corner.

"Miss Valentine, you're awake." He interrupted, making his way straight over to Cat's bed. "How are you feeling?"

"I... I don't know why I'm here." She said honestly, trying to focus her mind on the new question, her head still throbbing from the skull-splitting pain.

"Do you have any recollection of the crash?" He asked slowly.

"The crash?" Cat repeated in shock. "What crash? Did we get into a car crash?"

The doctor isn't surprised by Cat. Quite the contrary. He wears an expression that says he's heard all this before and a level of confidence that suggests he knows what to do and say next. "What is the last thing you remember?" He asked calmly.

"Umm," Cat mumbled, closing her eyes and forcing her mind to comply and focus. "I remember being in the car... and then nothing until a few minutes ago. It's like I blinked and then I was here in pain."

"Okay, Catarina." He says, noting this down on a small technological tablet. "Do you know how old you are?"

"Y...yes. I'm 17." Cat replies, searching through the files of her mind for the answer.

"And your birthday?"

"June 26th."

"What is the name of your school?"

"Hollywood Arts." She said curtly, the answers now coming to her easier. "Why are you asking?"

"Your memory seems to be fine-" The doctor told her. "-just that you can not remember the crash,"

"Surely that means her memory isn't fine," Jade spoke up.

"During a trauma, your brain basically strips down to its most basic fight-or-flight response. Oftentimes, this helps the victim to think clearly enough to find an escape route—at the cost, though, of processes like memory-making. Adding that to your head trauma, which could have knocked you out straight away, you may have just generally missed the whole crash." The doctor explained quickly, as if without thinking like he was rehearsing lines for a play. "It is very common, and unless you experience any other blanks in your memory then all seems to be okay."

"I... I think I remember everything else." Cat mumbled, her hand pressed to her temple.

"That's good to hear." The doctor said, starting to check Cat over: her heart rate, her breathing, her eyesight. All good, apart from a clear headache. After deciding that Cat no longer needed a nasal cannula, he removed it whilst explaining all of Cat's injuries to her.

"I've fractured my skull?" Cat gasped, once hearing that portion of the news. "Well, it would explain the pain." She added.

"It's only hairline and linear-" The doctor started to explain. "It's all being naturally held in place so any pain will usually disappear in around 5 to 10 days, despite it taking a few months to heal."

"So I got pretty lucky?" Cat asked.

"Yes, very." The doctor replied curtly. "Your airbag went off early, saving both you and the baby."

"To be honest, I don't care what happened to me, I'm just glad that Ellie is okay," Cat said quietly, placing a hand on her baby bump and smiling down at it, a light in her eyes burning brighter than a thousand fires. It's as if the whole world held their breath at that moment, just to onlook the scene placed before them, a true connection between mother and unborn daughter. Even the doctor, who until now had been very professional and curt, halted in his actions. A mothers love is an undeniable force to be reckoned with, it comes with the other parental instincts. It's debatably the strongest love out there, especially when it's fresh. It is the kind of love that made Cat want to move heaven and earth for her child if she had the power. It is the kind of love that says 'I would give my life for my child any time, any place.' It is the kind of love that would take on anyone, anyplace, anytime if they threaten the wellbeing of her daughter.

A loud beep somewhat interrupted the moment. The doctor apologised, pulling a small radio out of his pocket and walking out of the room. Despite this, Cat was still completely entranced with her baby bump, her mind whirling with everything that had happened. Mainly: 1) She'd almost lost the baby. 2) The boys accepted her. It was a moment of both happiness and disbelief... but either way, her baby was still alive and safe, and that was all that mattered.


	29. Chapter 29

A few moments passed before Robbie spoke up, addressing the subject with caution but intrigue. "Ellie is a pretty name." He said, standing up from the chair and walking to Cat's bedside.

"Thank you." Cat smiled at him, unable to hide how happy she was that the boys were accepting of her pregnancy, despite the pain still coursing through her head. "It's short for Elizabeth."

"After your Mom?" Beck inquired, looking to Jade for an answer.

"No, after the Queen of England," Jade replied in her usual sarcastic tone. "Yes, after my Mom. It was Cat's idea."

"So you know it's a girl?" Andre spoke up.

"Yep, I had my 5-month scan last week," Cat said timidly, unsure if Jade had already told them how far along she was.

"So she's due in-" Andre started, counting ahead on his fingers. "-the beginning of May?"

"Straight before our Finals week." Cat nodded solemnly. "Which is unfortunate, but I'm sure we'll sort something out."

"Does the school know yet?" Beck asked, referring to their school counsellor, Lane.

"Nope." Cat shook her head, regretting it immediately due to the stiffness in her neck.

"I've been trying to get her to tell them," Jade started. "But she can be very stubborn when she wants to be."

"I...I'm just scared." Cat stuttered. "If the school knows then the news will surely spread and then everyone will know... I don't want them to know."

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but they will find out eventually Cat," Beck said slowly.

"I know." Cat sighed. "I'll tell them eventually, I managed to tell you didn't I?"

"Technically Jade told us," Robbie spoke up.

"I'll tell them when I'm ready okay?" Cat mumbled.

"It's totally up to you Cat." Jade smiled weakly.

"Thank you," Cat said, smiling back. Through her still slightly blurred vision, she began to really take in how her girlfriend looked, the reminder of why they were in hospital slowly filtering into her mind. Both girls were still in their beds a few feet apart but tilted upright into an almost sitting position. "Jadey?" She started. "How hurt are you?"

"I'm fine I-" Jade tried to cover the pain she was in.

"Please just tell me honestly," Cat said bluntly, knowing that her girlfriend wasn't the type to be truthful about things like that, instead she would just try to act tough.

"Fine." Jade sighed. "I broke my nose, cut open my forehead and dislocated my shoulder."

"Jadey!" Cat gasped, pulling her hands to her mouth. "You must be hurting so much."

"I...I'm fine, look," Jade said, shuffling to the edge of her bed, dangling her feet over the edge. She wouldn't admit it, but the moment was slightly too much for her still damaged body and concussed head, making her pause for a brief moment.

"Don't do that," Beck told her, seeing the obvious discomfort on Jade's face.

"No, I can do it," Jade said, slowly taking deep breaths to control her spinning mind and sliding her feet to the ground. As soon as her feet were planted onto the floor, she started to sway slightly.

"Jade don't push yourself," Beck told her sternly, walking over to her. "If you fall, you don't have your right arm to catch you."

"I'm fine," Jade growled, taking a small, shaky step towards Cats bed. And then another and then another to where she finally reached it, resting her good arm on Cat's mattress to support her. "See, I can do it."

"You look like you're about to faint." Cat whimpered,

"I'm not going to." Jade returned, steadying herself on her feet better.

"Please sit at least." Cat compromised, carefully shuffling to the side of her bed to make room for Jade.

"Okay," Jade said reluctantly, slowly climbing onto Cat's bed and perching herself beside Cat, who had pulled herself into a cross-legged sitting position. "How are you feeling?" Jade asked her girlfriend, taking Cat's hand in her own.

"My head hurts a bit," Cat admitted.

"I'm so sorry" Jade whispered, her volume bearly audible.

"About what?" Cat asked.

"The crash..." Jade mumbled. "It's my fault I-"

"This is not your fault," Cat said seriously, locking eyes with Jade's.

"You don't even know what happened." Jade shot back, her mind fogged with the looming guilt she felt.

"Tell me then," Cat said, shuffling forward so that she was practically leaning into Jade's side, moving her thumb circular motions over the back of Jade's hand.

"When I drove us into the intersection, another car skipped their red light and hit us." Jade summarised briefly.

"How is that your fault?" Cat said slowly, slightly tilting her head to the side like a dog would (_how ironic_).

"I... it's just... you could have gotten hurt. I could have killed you. I could have killed Ellie." Her voice wavered as she talked, a single tear falling through the cracks of her walls, falling down her face. The guilt was ice in her guts, slowly spreading throughout her body like an infectious disease. She swore it could be a hundred degrees out and she'd still be frozen on the inside.

Cat could see the struggle behind her girlfriend's eyes and decided she needed to take action. She was not a serious person by nature, but she knew that if ever there was a time for solidarity, it was now. "Jade, you did nothing wrong." She began, her voice low and calming as she spoke, her thumb still moving in soothing circles on the back of Jade's hand, sending a warm spike through the older girl's body. "The car that hit us was the one that broke the law, they are the one at fault. You are the victim, not the perpetrator." Cat's warm brown eyes were staring into Jade's as she spoke, her words truly coming from the heart.

"My Mom died in a car crash... I couldn't lose you too." Jade admitted, more tears falling as the walls that held her up, made her strong, just started to crack.

"You didn't lose me Jadey," Cat told her. "I'm right here." All the pain seemed the melt away as Cat pulled Jade into a hug, carefully wrapping her around Jade, trying desperately to avoid contact with Jade's damaged shoulder. Too scared to hurt her, Cat made the hug short and sweet but all needed affection was expressed during the embrace, staying close even after pulling away.

"I'm sorry I put you in danger, and Ellie," Jade mumbled, wiping away the stray tears.

"We're both still here and we're both okay." Cat smiled, unconsciously placing her hand on her baby bump. "You did nothing wrong you-" Cat's eyes suddenly went wide and her whole body did a sort of twitch.

"W...what?" Jade said in a slight panic.

"S...she just kicked," Cat said slowly, moving her hand around her bump. "She hasn't done that yet." She squealed happily.

"Really?" Jade said, her eyes lighting up at Cat's happiness. Mentally, she decided that she wouldn't tell Cat about Ellie kicking straight after the crash as she feared it would ruin the moment.

"Yes really!" Cat said, raising her shirt over the bump and taking Jade's hand and placing it on bare skin. "She might do it again." She added.

"Has she not done that before?" Robbie spoke up, reminding the girls that they weren't, in fact, the only ones in the room. Until now, the boys had been stood a respectful distance away while Cat and Jade had talked, instead, he had been focusing their attention on Tori to give them privacy.

"Nope," Cat told him. "Come here." She encouraged, smiling brightly as she waited for Ellie to kick again. Slowly, the three boys approached. They'd only recently found out about their friend's pregnancy and were still slightly coming to terms with it, and now the baby was kicking? There was a lot going through their minds. Cat's body twitched slightly again as Ellie kicked, right against where she and Jade's hands were linked. "Did you feel that Jadey?" She beamed.

"Yeah, yeah I did," Jade said, unable to hide the smile.

"What does it feel like?" Robbie asked as he reached the bedside.

"Like... I can't explain." Cat pondered, a broad smile across her own face. "It just feels like a baby kicking, that's all I can say."

"Well that would make sense," Beck added.

"None of us have properly congratulated you yet." Andre realised. "So congrats Cat, you're gonna be a great mother. You too Jade."

"Thank you, Andre." Cat smiled, tears of joy brimming her eyes.

"Congrats girls." Beck and Robbie echoed.

"I've just thought of a great nickname for the baby," Andre commented.

"Whaty?" Cat asked.

"Kitten," Andre replied. "Ya know, a baby cat is a kitten, therefore Cat's baby is a kitten."

"Hehe." Cat giggled. "Why didn't I think of that?"

"'Cause I'm a genius." Andre shrugged jokingly.

"I'd hardly say 'genius'," Jade commented.

There were a few moments of silence before Cat's suddenly body suddenly dropped and she started leaning further into Jade's side. From a distance, it would seem that she was merely showing affection, but the from close one would see the coldness in her eyes, frozen over like the surface of a winter puddle.

"Y...you okay Cat?" Robbie spoke up sheepishly, concerned over the younger girls drastic change in demeanour.

Cat didn't respond though, her expression blank as she slowly closed her eyes, her head now fully rested on Jade's undamaged shoulder. "Cat?" Jade asked, nudging her girlfriend slightly, moments before Cat quietly whimpered in pain, her hand shooting up to her head. The brief time of wellness has quickly passed and she was once again tormented by the agony from her skull. The doctor warned them that the pain may come in waves, but these waves really were between both extremities. The quite beeps of her heart rate monitor sped up as her face further closed in a grimace, eyes clamped shut. "I've got you," Jade said quietly, carefully leaning Cat back down onto her bed so that she was laying with her head was rested on her pillow.

"Thank you," Cat mumbled quietly as her head made contact with the cushion.

"Can you get me a chair?" Jade asked the boys.

"Sure." Andre nodded, bringing one of the soft chairs to Cat's bedside. Next, he helped Jade off of Cat's bed and into said chair.

"Thanks," Jade said curtly, carefully lowering herself into the chair to give Cat more room to lay on her bed, Jade's unbandaged arm still clasped around Cat's hand. Her own pain started to slowly return but she forced it away, knowing that being by Cat's side was more important. Mere moments ago Cat was fine but now she was back to laying on her hospital bed, her eyes closed as she sucked herself back into a deeper coping place again, reminding Jade too much of how Cat looked on the side of the road.

All Jade could do was stroke Cat's red hair and hold her hand. It barely seemed enough, yet her heart rate noticeable came down. The room was once again in silence while Cat laid there, trying to push through the head-crushing pain, resembling a stature similar to the still-unconscious Tori. From time to time Jade's eyes dropped to the bedsheets, but mostly they were fixed on Cat's face in a soft stare. Jade was not unfamiliar to Cat's position, herself knowing the headaches that cause such pain and it broke her to see Cat hurting that way.


	30. Chapter 30

After about 10 minutes passed of Cats quiet whimpers and twitches, when she seemingly fell asleep, her body unmoving apart from her chest which rose and fell rhythmically. If you excuse the pun, she was in a completely _cat_atonic state. The group went from having 2 of the 3 girls conscious back down to 1, but they knew that, for Cat's sake, it was better for her to be asleep and away from the pain. Despite Jade's own pain, she refused to go back to her bed, planting herself in the chair beside Cat's bed, not taking her eyes off of her. The goth was still heavily burdened with guilt, still convinced that she was to blame for the crash. The thoughts in her mind told her that she was the one behind the wheel and therefore responsible for the damage. She couldn't help but think it was her fault Cat and Tori were hurt, constantly reminding herself that they could have been killed, Ellie too. She'd have never been able to live with herself if that happened if Cat had lost the baby. Sure, at first she was wary about Cat's pregnancy, worried about how it would affect her, but now it was the best thing that had ever happened to her. The baby had brought her and Cat together, being the force that gave them the final push, and would forever be there to hold them tight. It wasn't only that though, it was the fact that the baby was their daughter._ Their_ daughter, as in both, plural. Although Jade may not have been carrying her, in all intensive purposes, she saw Ellie as her own, even if she wasn't even born yet. She could not wait to help Cat raise Ellie, to support and love them both, to give them whatever they needed in life. Jade knew that she would walk through the gates of hell to keep them safe and feel honoured to be given the chance. But deep down, she felt like she'd already failed at keeping them safe, for God's sake, Cat was laying in a hospital bed! There was Tori too of course. She was also a victim of the crash, breaking her arm in the process. No matter what kind of past they had together, Jade still felt a tidal wave of remorse crash into her flooding her thoughts. At this point, Tori had yet to wake up and Jade couldn't help but worry that she never will. The doctors had expected her to wake up about an hour ago, but there she was, still unconscious. This was why Jade felt guilty, and no amount of convincing would tell her otherwise.

While trapped in the spiral of self-deprecating thoughts, a single tear slid down from her icy-blue eyes, followed by another one, and another one, until soon, a steady stream of salty tears flowed it's way down her pale cheek, releasing the sadness and sorrow that had been held inside of her, but she did not make a sound. Unless you looked directly at her, you would be unaware of her silent suffering. She bit her tongue, trying to hold back the sob that threatened to leave her throat. Wiping away the vision-blurring tears; Jade continued to look at Cat's fragile frame which laid before her, but this just made things worse. The lump in her throat developed into a knot. Her lungs screamed for oxygen. She started gasping over and over, yelling, 'get ahold of yourself' in her head. More involuntarily tears slid down her cheek. She couldn't take it anymore. The sudden sound of her sobs filled the air. She didn't want the boys to hear, so she tried desperately to hold it back but it was too late.

Beck, Andre and Robbie, who had been preoccupied with small chatter while sitting around Tori's bed, suddenly noticed Jade's distress. After the boys exchanged a look of 'what should we do?' Beck sprung to his feet, making his way towards where Jade was sat. "Hey, Jade… Are you okay?" He idiotically blurted. She was clearly NOT okay. Jade nodded in response, trying to cover the tears that still flowed from her eyes, her body still wracking with great sobs as she shook like a leaf. In one swift movement, Beck pulled her to his chest, allowing her a literal shoulder to cry on. Surprisingly, there was no fight from Jade, accepting the comfort instantly, sobbing into his chest unceasingly, hands clutching at his jacket. He held her in silence, rocking her slowly as her tears soaked his chest. A tiny lapse let Jade pull away, blinking lashes heavy with tears, before she collapsed again, hurling her back into the outstretched arms of her grief.

While this woeful scene occurred mere metres away, Andre and Robbie knew it was best to not get involved, choosing to keep their attention on Tori. They couldn't help but feel slightly award though. Since Jade and Beck had broken up they'd barely talked, and now they were stood in a tight embrace. On top of this, the normally rock-hard Jade was in hysterical sobs, a complete contrast to her normal persona. Neither Robbie or Andre knew how to react, so they didn't, just pretending that it wasn't happening,

"It's not your fault, Jade," Beck whispered to her as he continued to hold her.

"I...it... it feels... feels like it." Jade hiccuped between muffled sobs.

"It's not your fault," Beck repeated slowly. "That car hit _you _not the other way around; there was nothing you could have done to stop it. At the end of the day, you're all okay and no one was seriously hurt. No one is blaming you so why would you blame yourself?"

While Jade was left to ponder the question; there was the sound of shuffling coming from Tori's bed. It was too quiet for Beck and Jade to hear but Andre and Robbie were instantly aware of it. Slowly, Tori stretch her arms above her head and yawned, a slightly disgruntled and confused expression on her face when she realised one of her arms felt somewhat restricted. As her eyes open her limbs flex in shock. The lights seeping into her eyes was brighter than her normal bedroom and everything was blurry. For a second, she didn't know who or where she was or how you got in that bed. Then, everything was processed.

Suddenly, she bolted upright like she was hooked up the mains. No sleepiness, no slow warming up. Within seconds of realizing she was unconscious, she sat right up, eyes wide, dreams not just forgotten but erased. She was drinking in the feedback of all my senses; white walls, bright lights, Andre and Robbie staring at her. "Tori!" The former beamed, very happy that his girlfriend had finally woken up.

This quickly got Jade and Beck's attention, the two pulling away from their hug to see that Tori was, in fact, awake. Jade instantly wiped away any lingering tears and carefully stood to her feet and, with Beck's help, made her way over to the foot of Tori's bed, where she sat in another chair.

"What happened to you?" Tori said wearily, raising her hand to her face to wipe away the sleep from her eyes. This is when she first noticed the cast on her broken arm, somehow unaware of the pain. "And my arm?"

"You were in a car crash," Andre explained quickly.

"We were?" Tori asked, her eyes fixed on her casted arm. It took only a few moments for the memories to flood back to her. "Oh... I remember now." She mumbled.

"How are you feeling Tori?" Beck asked.

"A little numb," Tori told him honestly. "I'm not in any pain, but I feel like I should be."

"You are being pumped with painkillers," Robbie noted.

"You should probably lean back though," Andre told her, tilting her bed into a slightly more upright position so that she could lean back against it but still be at a comfortable angle.

"Thanks," Tori told him, leaning back in her chair.

"I'm so sorry-" Jade started before Beck cut her off quickly by resting a hand on her not-dislocated shoulder.

"Have you been crying?" Tori spoke up, noting her puffy red eyes.

"No." Jade lied quickly. Tori merely raised an eyebrow before Jade then told her the truth. "Maybe a little."

"Why? We're all okay right?" Tori asked. "I'm okay, you seem alright and Cat- wait where's Cat? What happened to-"

"Cat's okay," Andre told her, shuffling to the side so that Tori could see Cat, laying on her own bed. "She woke up a while ago but just passed out again."

"That doesn't seem like 'okay.'" Tori said. "Is that why you were crying?" She asked Jade.

"No- well kinda," Jade said honestly. "I was crying 'cause I hurt her, and you. I crashed the car."

"No you didn't," Tori said, her brow furrowed slightly as she tried to remember the crash. "That car hit us, didn't it? I mean that's what I remember."

"Technically it did hit us but I was still behind the wheel," Jade mumbled, still beating herself up for the collision.

"That car was coming way too fast to avoid," Tori told her. "I barely had enough time to brace myself." She added.

"See, that's what I've been telling her." Beck cut in.

"I don't blame you at all Jade," Tori told her honestly. "And I highly doubt Cat does, she couldn't hold a grudge if she tried, even with those wacky new pregnancy hormones..." Tori's voice faded as she realised what she'd just said. As far a she was aware, the boys didn't know about the baby, and therefore she had just given the secret away.

"We know, don't worry," Andre told her.

"Since when?" Tori asked.

"When we first came in here," Robbie replied. "The nurse said 'all three girls and baby are okay' without telling us who was the pregnant one and then Andre started freaking out, thinking it was you."

"Me?!" Tori blushed. "I mean I... we... I."

"Wait a minute," Jade spoke up. "I've just realised that if Andre thought it was you then... well you aren't as innocent as I thought then Tori." Jade couldn't help but smirk slightly as Tori started to blush a very deep red.

"The baby is okay right?" Tori blurted, very much wanting to change the subject.

"As far as we know; yes," Beck replied, seeing Tori's discomfort and helping her to switch topics.

"Thank God." Tori sighed in relief, still trying to push away her blush. "So everyone is relatively okay right?" She asked.

"Mostly," Beck said curtly. "You've broken your arm, Jade's dislocated her shoulder, broke her nose and cut her forehead, Cat fractured her skull and you all have a concussion." He summarised.

"I don't feel concussed," Tori told him.

"Lucky you," Jade told her. "Cat passed out from the pain and I can barely see straight or stand."

"I'm glad I braced myself then," Tori mumbled. "Shouldn't you by laying down then?" She asked Jade.

"She should." Beck interrupted. "But she's stubborn"."

"I'm alright at the moment," Jade said. In some sense, she was right, she was okay at the present. The headache came and went in waves. When it waned she could move and talk with relative ease, it was only when the pain returned at full that all she could do was hold still and breathe, breathe slow and deep until it has passed. "I didn't hit my head that hard."

"Yes, you did." Beck reminds her.

"I'm fine," Jade repeated.

"Seeing as this isn't going anywhere-" Tori began, changing the subject. "Do my parents know where I am?"

"I'd presume so, they were probably told when we were," Andre told her. "They're in Hawaii right now aren't they?"

"Yeah." Tori nodded. "Have they tried to call or anything?"

"I don't know," Andre replied. "Your phone is still in the car and the doctors haven't said anything but that might just be because you've not been awake for them to tell you."

"This is just rough timing I guess," Tori mumbled. "Jade's dad in Europe, where it's currently night, mine are in Hawaii and Cat's... well we all know what's going on there." She sighed.

"I don't know 'what's going on there?' Robbie interrupted, looking very confused.

"Oh..." Tori muttered. "I thought you would have told them when you told them about her baby." She said to Jade.

"I hadn't gotten around to it yet." Jade sighed.

"What? What's happened?" Robbie asked frantically.

"We'll tell you, but don't get mad." Tori began.

"Why would we be mad?" Andre spoke up.

"Trust me, this will make you mad." Jade cut in, her jaw clenched as she talked, thinking about it already.

"Just tell us please." Beck pleaded.

"Tori will tell you," Jade said, passing the responsibility over to the half-latina, knowing that she would probably just start getting angry herself if she told it.

"Do I have to?"

"You brought it up." Jade shrugged.

"Fine," Tori muttered. "So, you know how Cat's family is kinda religious?" She started.

"Not really?" Andre spoke up.

"Well, they are," Tori said curtly. "And...um... they didn't exactly take it well when they found out she was pregnant. And well..."

"They kicked her out." Jade finished for her.

"Come again?"

"What?!"

"No, you're kidding."

"I wish I was kidding." Jade shook her head. "That's why she's living with me."

"That's just... I feel the need to do up to Idaho and knock some sense into them." Beck commented

"You'll have to wait your turn."


	31. Chapter 31

As the evening drew nearer, the girls were told that they needed to spend the night in their beds. Jade's shoulder was expected to heal within a week and her nose within 2-3 weeks; Cat's skull would take about a month, though most discomfort would be gone in a week; and Tori's arm would take 6-8 weeks to heal fully.

The boys had gone home as visiting hours ended the night before but Beck said he would come back to drive Jade and Cat home once they were discharged, therefore the next morning the girls were the only ones in their room. A nights rest had done each of them good; Tori woke up as if nothing had ever happened, apart from the dull pain from her broken arm. Jade still had remanences of a headache, her nose throbbed and shoulder ached, but the pain was nothing like the day before. Cat's head was still somewhat pounding and there was slight swelling on the fracture line, but she was now able to get up without feeling faint.

Overnight, Tori's parents had booked a plane back from Hawaii and drove straight to the hospital the next morning. When they walked through the door, they rushed straight to their daughter, who was stood at the end of Cat's bed. Around her mother's eyes were laughter lines in just the right amount. It could be presumed that she was often happy, but at that moment she was deadly serious. Tori's was a literal clone of her mom, they had the same long chocolate-brown locks of hair, the same prominent cheekbones, symmetrical features and same tanned skin. The only distinct difference was their ages, but even that could be overlooked.

Tori's father was pretty much un-notable. He was like every other broad-shouldered ageing American working man. His hair was midnight black, his eyes were dark brown and skin was tanned. He was the kind of guy that would be equally at home sitting on the couch in sweatpants or in a tailored suit at city hall, but maybe that's just from years as a cop. His expression, like his wife's, was solemn and serious as he approached his daughter.

Both Cat and Jade couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy as Tori's parents tightly wrapped her arms around their daughter, repeatedly asking if she was okay along with various other questions. They loved their daughter unconditionally, like every parent should, reminding Cat how hers didn't. They were there for Tori when she needed them, reminding Jade how hers weren't.

After David and Holly Vega finished fixating on their daughter, they finally acknowledged the two other girls in the room. "Girls-" Tori's dad began to address the three teens as a whole, his demeanour switching from a caring father into a stern and serious man, as if he were suddenly in his 'police officer mode'. "Have you been informed of the state of the perpetrator?"

"The man in the other car?" Cat clarified,

"Yes," David replied quickly. "So do you or not?"

"No," Jade replied curtly, shaking her head.

"I was in contact with my fellow officers and I have the information of his persecution if you'd like to hear it." He told them.

"He's already been persecuted?" Tori asked.

"There was enough witness evidence to push the case and besides having a cop for a dad has its perks," Davis replied, directing the latter half of his statement towards Tori. "I believe your dad had something to do with the fast turn-over too Jade." He added.

"My dad?" Jade asked. "But he's in Europe"

"Yes, he called my department straight away, who I was relaying calls with the whole flight home. He seems to have quite a few connections around here." David ended, his tone was slightly suspicious yet somewhat thankful that someone else was able to help him out.

"That's... nice," Jade said quietly, unable to quickly find a better word. A small smile on her face as it settled in her mind that her father did care, she knew he did but there was always a shadow of doubt to her thoughts.

"So what happened?" Cat asked, taking the conversation back to the previous topic.

"Right, yes." Mr Vega said, pulling out his phone where he had taken notes. "The man received an: $1,000 fine for skipping the red light, $500 fine for speeding, and a week in County Jail for reckless driving, causing bodily injury and a $220 fine. He is also responsible for paying all of your medical bills._"_

**(A/N I tried to make this punishment as accurate as possible, taking into account Californian driving laws, the extent of damage and the fact that Cat is pregnant and therefore there was a higher risk factor. The reason I mention this is because I got into a weird look of law websites while researching and I'm now 32 minutes into a 'Dallas County jail' documentary. (Also, I am well aware that Dallas is not in California... that's just how far away from the point I got while researching.))**

"That's a lot," Tori mumbled.

"He does deserve it though Darling." Tori's mom said. "Anyone who breaks the law and injures three young girls deserves that."

Jade couldn't help but shiver as another wave of guilt took over her. Cat felt this movement beside her and quickly took her girlfriend's hand, their eyes locking. Jade's frosted blue meeting Cat's were the type of brown that was like sweet chocolate. Even in this deep moment of seriousness, Jade couldn't help but be instantly entranced by her girlfriend's eyes, and the warmth they brought. They were hot chocolate on a cold winter night, the soft warmness of them wrapping around her like a blanket and makes her feel at home. They pushed away all feelings of liability and Jade instantly felt better.

* * *

A short while later, a doctor entered the room and quickly checked the girls over. Despite Cat being in the most short-term pain, in retrospect, Tori's arm break would suffer the most long-term physical struggles. Mentally, however, Jade was by far the most affected. Her Mom had been killed in a car crash, and she was the only one awake through the whole collision... needless to say she was badly mentally scarred. Though, she wouldn't be herself if she wasn't hiding everything from everyone so she kept her emotional mask glued tight on her face. Either way, the doctor determined that all of them were stable enough and discharged them with a handful of painkillers each and a warning to be careful.

After Beck drove Jade and Cat home, Cat automatically took a dose of painkillers and went straight into the garden, laying on the sunchair on the patio. Her head was pounding but she couldn't stay inside any longer- being restricted in the hospital was long enough. When her head hit the pillow, she closed her eyes in an attempt to relax through the numbing pain from her skull, drawing in a deep breath of the outside air. In the distance there was traffic, but far away enough not to bother her. She let the sound of birds fill her ears instead of the ticking of clocks. There ten minutes was a long time and so the day stretched out like a small eternity. She brought her thoughts away from what had happened, doing that could only make her more anxious, more fearful. In her quiet contemplation thought about love, the people she cherished and what was right with her life. She was calm.

Inside the house, Jade was pacing back and forth. She had to sort out her car, contact the insurance company and buy a new car. She searched briefly for her phone to start the calls before remembering that it was still in her car, probably wrecked by the crash. 'Buy a new phone' just got added to her list. With a loud sigh, Jade sat on the couch, grabbing her PearPad to see what she could do from there. As soon as the screen turned on, she was greeted with the multiple missed calls and messages that had been sent to both synced devices. A few messages were from Beck, when the crash first happened, but the rest were from her Dad. Over 20 missed calls and an abundance of long messages. Jade quickly scanned her eyes over each message. They started with frantic messages, begging her to reply and tell her how she was. Next, the messages moved onto him promising that he would sort out all the insurance stuff and buy her a new car, that there was nothing for her to worry about. Jade clicked her father's contact and sent him a video call. No reply. Presuming he just missed it and clicked to call again. No reply again. Jade checked the time, 1 pm, that meant it was barely night in Europe so he should have been awake to reply. She re-read over his messages, checking the time he'd sent them, during the afternoon and evening yesterday which would have been... late very early morning in Europe. That's why he wasn't replying, he was probably sleeping after being awake the whole of the night before to keep in contact with her and talk to Tori's Dad. Jade couldn't help but feel a pang of appreciation for her Dad and what he'd done. Sure, he wasn't always there for her, but he was doing that so that he could give her everything else she needed in life, and even when he was away he did try. Sure, she may not have parents like Tori's, but at least they weren't like Cat's. She only had one parent alive, but that parent loved her and cared for her. She'd spent a lot of her youth resenting her father, and even sometimes being mad at her mother for not being there either; now that she was older, and about to be a parent herself, she finally realised how stupid and ungrateful she'd been. In the blink of an eye, Jade had started what would be a lengthy message, thanking her Dad for everything he'd done for her. As her finger hit the 'send' button, it was as if a weight had been lifted off of her chest, a new chapter had begun. Careful to not lean on her busted shoulder, Jade lowered her back against the couch, relaxing into the soft cushion below her. She took a deep breath in and slowly pushed it out, clearing her thoughts as she did so. In her quiet contemplation thought about love, the people she cherished and what was right with her life. She was calm.

They both were.


	32. Chapter 32

As the rest of the day passed, the two girls had to adapt to what had happened while trying to continue as normal. Jade was seemingly getting more and more annoyed at the inability to use her right arm while it was slung up across her chest and was reliant on Cat to do a lot of things for her. Cat didn't mind, of course, in fact, she actually liked how she was caring for Jade rather than it being the other way around like normal.

"Oh for God's sake!" Jade yelled as she dropped a plate on the floor, it shattering at her feet.

"I've got it, Jade, seriously," Cat said, for what had to be the 10th time, as she continued to cook their dinner. Jade, trying to be helpful, was busing herself by stacking dishes and setting the table.

"I just want to help," Jade grumbled, opening a cupboard door to grab a dust-pan and brush to clear up the shards.

"You don't help with dinner normally," Cat replied honestly, her tone somewhat motherly. "It will be done in 5 minutes, and I can clean that plate up."

"No," Jade grumbled, ironically like a disobedient child. "You're the one that's pregnant and with a fractured skull, you shouldn't be slaving over a hot stove like that."

"'Slaving?'" Cat replied, raising an eyebrow. "I'm cooking pasta and mixing sauce, I'd barely call that 'slaving'."

"Call it whatever you want, I should be helping you." Jade continued to grumble, attempting to brush the plate into the dustpan, failing miserably as each movement just pushed the broken plate pieces around, rather than into the pan. "AH!" She yelled, throwing the brush to the floor dramatically and standing back up. "I can't do anything with this stupid arm brace!"

"Jadey, calm down please," Cat said, turning her attention away from the boiling water and towards her girlfriend. "I'll clear it up."

"I'm meant to be the one helping you out! Not the other way around!" Jade replied, her volume still loud.

"You do!" Cat replied, her voice rasing slightly. "You look after me constantly, I just cook dinner for us. In all honesty, I don't know what you survived on before I moved in. It's about time I returned the favour and did something for you."

"But you're the pr-"

"Pregnant one?" Cat finished for her. "I'm aware."

"Exactly, which is why I should be looking after you." Jade shot back.

"I'm pregnant Jade, not handicapped. I'm can do everything you can, I don't need constant protection and supervision." Cat said slowly, crouching on the ground to collect up the pieces of the shattered plate, tipping them into the bin with ease. "See, I can do things for myself."

"But I-" Jade started.

"Please, just go sit down." Cat said slowly. "I can take care of myself."

"Fine," Jade mumbled, turning on her heal and walking through the open-planned kitchen and towards the couch, where she reluctantly sat down.

"Thank you." Cat replied, finishing cleaning up turning her attention back to the boiling bowel of water and pasta on the stove.

As Jade sat there, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. The crash really had flipped a switch in her mind, telling her that it was her duty to protect Cat at all costs and that everything was a danger to her. The sound of the boiling water pricked her ears as Cat moved her hand to stir the pasta in it again. Jade couldn't help but flinch as Cat lowered the spoon into the water, tiny particles of water splashing out of the pan. _he could burn herself. _Flashed through Jade's mind. _No, she's cooked pasta a thousand times before. _Jade thought back, trying to settle the mental disagreement within herself. She tried so hard to focus but it was like trying to run through water. Her brain fogged up and thoughts went nowhere at all and before she knew it she was in a full-blown flashback, checking herself for the blood that had flown from her forehead, seeing the flashing lights as the car flipped around her. Jade clamped her eyes shut and shook her head violently to push the thoughts away, trying to bring herself back into the present.

Cat, unaware of her girlfriend's struggle, continued to busy herself with cooking. Unconsciously, she started quietly singing along to a silent tune: "_There's always gonna be another mountain_

_I'm always gonna wanna make it move_

_Always gonna be an uphill battle_

_Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose_

_Ain't about how fast I get there_

_Ain't about what's waiting on the other side_

_It's the climb."_

**('The Climb' by Miley Cyrus)**

Jade had no idea why Cat was singing this, but for some reason, the old Disney singer's song really spoke to her. Life was never a level field, always hurdles in the way to climb over or walk around. As Cat's soothing voice ricochetted around her ears, Jade instantly felt calmer, realising she needed Cat as much as Cat needed her and despite their difference, this was why they were perfectly made for each other.


	33. Chapter 33

_Authors Note:_

_This is a really depressing way to start a new chapter, but I have to mention it as a way to vent. Because I post all my chapters at once no one would know this, but it's actually been quite a while since I wrote the last chapter. Why? Because I totally have no motivation right now. Every time I sit down to write my dog always sits beside me to give me some company and because he likes to know where I am. Sadly, my dog passed away recently and I just couldn't bring myself to open up my laptop and sit down without him curled up beside me. He was such a good boy for the 10 years of his life and I truly can't remember a time when he wasn't here (mainly because I was barely old enough to function when we got him). Once again, I know this is sad and I doubt anyone cares but I just wanted to dedicate this chapter to my doggo, Duke, the goodest of all good boys._

* * *

For the next few days, the girls were given a break from school for their injuries to heal over to a safer level. By this point, Cat's headaches had mostly subsided and her skull fracture was stable, Jade's shoulder was still sore but she no longer needed the sling and her forehead still had a bandaid on it, and Tori's arm was on the mend but nowhere near fully healed.

As Jade prepared to leave the house; Cat was still stood in their bedroom staring at her reflection in the full-length mirror, something she had been doing too often recently. She started at her feet before letting her gaze rise up and she took in her whole body, wincing at the figure that stared back at her. There were still signs of tiny cuts littering her body from the car's glass and no matter how much she looked forward to the birth of her child... she still wasn't used to the 5 months along bump sticking out of her torso. Even under her shirt, it was very predominantly sticking out in front of her otherwise small frame. She was so scared for the day when everyone at school found out, she was so scared to be judged by them. Cat didn't seem like a person who cared about what everyone else thought, but deep down she craved other's approval, she wanted everyone and anyone to like her. It wasn't only that, but what if the baby's father found out and tried to hunt her down, sure she didn't know who it was, but they'd have remembered that night at least. Cat couldn't help but shudder at the thought of him. She'd lost all connection with that friend group since Jade called the police on them, and she was not ready to fave them all again if news got out. She grabbed one of her large hoodies and pulled it over herself, even that barely covered the bump at this point. She was thankful that is was winter, and therefore cold enough to wear them, but even sometimes the LA heat was making it a little unbearable. She ran her hands over her bump to try and find any way to better hide it.

"Cat?" Jade's voice rung out as she walked into the room and close up behind her girlfriend, looking over her shoulder and into the mirror also.

"Yeah?" Cat said, not taking her eyes off of her reflection, specifically where her hands were rested on her baby bump.

"We're gonna be late for school." Jade reminded her curtly.

"I know." Cat sighed, grabbing her phone and placing it in the front pocket-pouch-thing of her hoodie, dragging the fabric down to disguise some of the stretching.

"You're still trying to cover your bump?" Jade asked, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"I... people can't know yet," Cat whispered.

"They're going to have to soon," Jade told her honestly. "Besides, you should be proud of this. You're carrying another human being inside you, that requires a lot of strength-"

"Jade?" Cat cut her off.

"Yeah?"

"I'm just not ready yet." She mumbled.

"I understand." Jade sighed before suddenly feeling the urge to do something to comfort her. Spinning Cat around she lightly planting her lips onto Cat's forehead before quickly pulling away and looking into her big brown eyes. Every time Jade looked at her, she fell in love all over again, looking past any socially labelled 'imperfections': her willowy frame, her minimal makeup, her flat chest, her undyed brunette roots poking through her skull. None of that was even a thought to Jade as in Cat she only saw beauty. Her eyes were a rich brown that stole your breath while looking through your soul. Her hair was like a ruby waterfall that tumbled down her back in thick locks. Her hands were strong yet at the same time gentle. And her mouth… oh, how she wanted to kiss that mouth.

And so she did. It wasn't like one of those close-mouthed kisses like you do when you're in eighth grade and you've never held hands before with a girl. It was full on, open-mouthed, almost sexual kiss. And she loved it. She loved the way Cat's small body melted into mine. The way their lips fit like two puzzle pieces. The way she relented as Jade played with her hair and held her tighter and tighter. When they broke away after what seemed like ages Cat looked at Jade... "We're totally going to be late for school." Cat giggled. Their shared kisses always took her breath away and left her completely flustered. "But this is so worth it."

"I know," Jade growled seductively before shaking her head back into reality. "Though we do really need to go."

"Oh, you tease." Cat winked, taking Jade's hand and leading her out of the room and down the stairs.

As they walked down each step together, Jade suddenly felt somewhat ill, like all the blood had suddenly rushed to her feet. She felt her hand go limp in Cat's grasp as they reached the solid wooden floor. Her chest is hollow, and then all at once, it's filled with this buzzing. Buzzing. Buzzing. Buzzing. Her face is numb and her usual calm had been replaced by a carousel of ideas, each one more worrying than the last. She was starting to panic about leaving for school. Why? Because that involved driving. Driving meant being in control of the car, her new car at that. In control meant she could crash it. Crashes meant injuries. She'd barely been able to cope during the ride home from the hospital, but being in the front seat of a practically empty car with no distractions was much much worse.

She'd been trying to ignore these thoughts over the last few days, not leaving the house to have to face them. Even when her new car arrived she didn't even go outside to look at it, making Cat sign all of the papers. She'd never been the anxious type, usually more laid back than anyone, but this had really set her anxiety levels through the roof. In anticipation last night, she must have woken up six times during her 10-hour sleep. Not for that long each time, but enough to break her sleep into un-refreshing chunks. With every disturbance, there was a new nightmare. The car crashed and Cat dies. The car crashes and Cat miscarries the baby. Then Cat leaves her because of it and it's her fault. Then the car crashes again and she herself dies too. Each night terror revolved around the same spinning lights and flipping automobiles, screeching of tires and crushing of metal. Each time she awoke, she wanted to wash her brain in cold water, chill the whole thing right out but she couldn't.

"Jade?" Cat asked, seeing Jade's eyes glazing over, not knowing what to do. "Jadey are you okay?" Jade's mind snapped back to reality and the panic grew like a cluster of spark plugs in her abdomen. Tension grew in her face and limbs, her mind replaying the crash for the hundredth time. Her breathing became more rapid, more shallow. In these moments before her personal hurricane, she understood the drug addict, the alcoholic... anything to stop the primal urge to flee. She stumbled backwards, colliding with the wall, her heart racing faster. "Jade?" Cat repeated, slowly reaching out and placing a hand on Jade's shoulder - no answer. "Jadey?" Again - no answer. Again -no answer. In seconds Jade was on the floor with her knees to her chest, her back slid down the wall, her only movement the trembling of her limbs and salty tears running down her face. "Jadey what's happening?" Cat cried out, her expression one of shock and confusion as she tried to communicate with her girlfriend. "What's wrong?- Please talk to me."

Cat slowly moved her hand under Jade's chin and tilted her head up to face her, her eyes were wild and she started rocking, rocking, rocking. She got faster and faster until she exploded into motion again. Suddenly she was taking. Talking about why she was so panicked and couldn't leave. Talking like she didn't have enough time to say what she needed to. Her words were crowded together and some were missing. All her fears were tumbling out unchecked by her brain, she was in some kind of mental free-fall, unable to analyze things or assess risk. Cat's words were bouncing off her like they were hard rain, pulling Jade towards her in a tight hug. Jade's fingers were white-knuckled holding onto Cat's hoodie Cat tell her over and over again that it would be okay, stroking her back and planting kisses on her face to try and calm her down.

Then they just sat there together, unaware of the passing half an hour until Jade found the feelings had passed. Slowly loosening her vice grip on Cat's hoodie, she opened eyes to the soft light of the surrounding room. Though she could still hear each of her breaths, rasping just the same as if she had the flu - she was now much calmer. "I'm sorry." She whispered to Cat who was still very close beside her.

"There's no reason to be sorry," Cat replied, her voice still soft and soothing. "It's okay to be scared; it's okay to be anxious. You have every right to feel this way, and I'm right here for you when you do."

"Thank you," Jade mumbled in response, slowly pulling herself to her feet and wiping away the stray mascara that had run down her face

"Should we skip school for today?" Cat added, also standing up from the floor.

"No, we need to go in." Jade shook her head, still trying to calm the now more subtle shakes.

"Should we walk then?" Cat suggested.

"We'll miss the first lesson if we do that- it's over a half an hour walk," Jade replied.

"We're already going to be late," Cat admitted. "Besides, I feel like I need some fresh air anyway."

"Okay." Jade nodded. "Let me just fix my makeup and then we'll leave."

* * *

About 5 minutes later, the girls were out of the front door and starting their long walk to down the Hollywood Hills and all the way to their school, keeping their pace casual as they knew they'd be late no matter how fast they went. Despite the past half an hour's events, Jade was acting as if nothing had ever happened, her face set to "casual indifference." Of course, inside she was still panicked and grief-stricken, but the internal fear only travelled in her veins, never making it to her facial muscles or skin.

Although it was winter, the Los Angeles heat was still in the air slightly to keep them warm within their hoodies. The girls walked hand in hand as they walked, each step in-sync with their partner's covering an equal distance despite Jade's longer legs. Each time a car rolled past, Jade visibly flinched, each recoil greeted by a comforting hand-squeeze from Cat. "We need to get you to a doctor, I think you have PTSD." The red-head spoke up suddenly as the 10th car passed them, turning her head to face Jade as they continued to walk down the paths of the Hollywood Hills.

"No I don't," Jade replied bluntly.

"No, I'm pretty sure." Cat retorted in the same sort of tone.

"How can you be so sure?" Jade said, humouring her comment.

"It's one of the problems my brother has," Cat shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why? What happened to him to cause it?" Jade pressed. Sure, she'd grown up with Cat and met her brother lots of times, but she'd never really asked about him. When they were younger, he was relatively normal, just a few outbursts here and there. However as they grew Jade just stopped going to Cat's house, all sleepovers and hangouts being at hers instead, so she never really witnessed him at his worst. It always seemed to pain Cat when she talked about her older brother, but Jade decided that she did need to address it this time.

"All the hospital visits, the straitjacket and padded rooms," Cat said darkly, shrugging it off.

"I'm not like that. I don't need a padded room." Jade frowned.

"I didn't say you were. The PTSD was caused by the padded rooms. My brother's pretty messed up because of other things, the PTSD is just a side effect which he is being treated for. You can get treated too. Please."

"I'll think about it." Jade compromised.

"Thank you." Cat smiled weakly, her expression now more slightly sullen then when their conversation began.

"How is your brother now?" Jade added, still wanting to push this conversation further.

"We haven't spoken for a while." Cat replied in an almost monotone voice. "He's not allowed contact when inside 'the facility' and obviously my parents don't talk to me about him anymore."

"Your brother always seemed so... normal when we were young," Jade mentioned.

"He was normal and he is still," Cat mumbled. "He just has a few mental problems that need to be fixed."

"Didn't he get sent away for being a 'danger to himself and others'," Jade recalled the information that Cat had once told her in confidence months ago.

"Don't say that," Cat growled. "He was never 'a danger' he just didn't take his medicines one morning and attacked that poor man..." Her voice trailed off. "I mean sure he was a little violent but not that bad."

"Didn't be smash a vase over your head once?" Jade asked.

"We were just playing." Cat covered quickly, freezing slightly as she talked. "Can we stop talking about this please?"

"No." Jade replied bluntly. Although they were in public, there was no one of the pathways near them to overhear, so their conversation was about as private as it would ever be. "You never talk about this kinda stuff, and I'd like to know."

"Well, there are reasons I don't talk about it," Cat growled in response, her dark voice now as far away from normal as possible. Until now, her hand had still been in Jade's, abide slightly loosely, and now she'd her hand away, placing it in her hoodie pocket.

"From your reaction here, I think you've got something a doctor should hear about too," Jade noted, raising one of her, perfectly sculpted, dark eyebrows at Cat. Cat was always such a happy and bubbly girl, but from the years of experience around her, Jade knew of her hidden mental demons and if she were having to seek help for herself, then why shouldn't Cat too? "If I'm going to the doctors for this, then you should too."

"I've gone to every doctor there is Jade." Cat sighed, running a hand through her long red hair. "Bi-polar, ADHD, Autism, Generalised Learning Disabilities, Psychotic Disorders, Personality Disorders. I've got symptoms for all of them and each doctor has a different diagnosis. It was about a year ago when I got rid of all my meds and just stopped caring."

"Woah." Jade breathed out. She knew Cat had problems, anyone who'd even muttered an insult around her was privy to her mood swings that revealed this information, but maybe Cat was more messed up then she'd ever imagined. Suddenly everything was put into perspective. Her lack of an attention span, sometimes lack of empathy, her disjointed and random thoughts, her selective inability to comprehend simple things, her hyperactive behaviour, her craving of affection from others and many other things. It was if this information was the final piece of a Cat-shaped puzzle, finally fitting together in Jade's mind to reveal the truth.

"I just pray Ellie is neurotypical 'cause my genetics aren't going to help her out there." Cat sighed again, placing a hand on her baby bump.

Jade wasn't sure if it was Cat's pregnancy hormones that made her this sombre, or if she was really like this when she opened up properly. Either way, she was adamant to find out. "How could you have learning disabilities?" She asked. "Have they seen you near music, acting or fashion design? You learn that stuff faster than anyone."

"I haven't got anything higher than a D in maths in years though." Cat retorted sourly. "And my English is rubbish too. I get told I'm stupid at least once a day; I'm not obvious to the comments. "

"If you're being accessed on something you don't excel at then you're going to get low results," Jade noted. "But if they saw how amazing you can be, they'd be eating their words.

"'If you guide a fish by its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.'" Cat spoke up randomly, speaking as if she were reciting a passage from a book.

"See, that sounded smart." Jade gushed.

"It's an Einstien quote," Cat mumbled, looking down at her feet as she continued to walk.

"You need to give yourself more credit then those doctors do. Sure, you might have bi-polar disorder or ADHD but the others are such a stretch. You're practically a musical prodigy and can make and design better clothes then world famous companies. Your talents may not lie in what they consider a measure of intellect, but that's just their opinion, those who really know you know the truth." Jade started to ramble.

"Thank you." Cat replied curtly, fighting back a blush. A few moments of silence paused while Cat took in what her girlfriend had just said. "You're still getting tested for PTSD though." She added.

"Damnit." Though a part of her knew that Cat was right, which was why she was reflecting the same cause of action towards her, Jade was still a closed-off person who was not fond of the idea of opening up.


	34. Chapter 34

After over half an hour of continuous walking, Jade and Cat finally made it to school, just in time for the start of second class. As the girls walked through the bustling corridor, they nearly collided with their friends, who were walking in the opposite direction. "Heya." Tori greeted, her broken arm still rested within a hard cast."I wasn't sure if you were coming in or not."

"You're just a little bit late," Beck added jokingly.

"Yeah... we got held up," Jade mumbled, being extra caution to not make eye contact with anyone.

"I had a really bad wave of morning sickness." Cat lied, covering their story quickly with a subject that no one would ask details of. Her words weren't loud enough for anyone else in the hallway to hear without them seriously butting into their conversation.

"Sorry to hear that," Andre told her. "You feeling better now at least?"

"Yep, thank you." Cat beamed, continuing the lie. "How's your arm, Tori?" She asked the half latina."

"Its a bit of an inconvenience." Tori sighed. "But on the upside, I don't have to carry my bag around."

"Yeah, you're making me instead," Andre commented, motioning to how he was carrying her bag on top of his own.

"That's what boyfriends are for." Tori smiled, giving Andre a quick peck on the lips.

"Aweee." Jade said in a very mocking tone, almost copying her 'southern Belle-Tori' accent.

"Oh come on, your lips are barely away from Cat's long enough for you to make that comment." Tori shot back.

"Touche." Jade shrugged, admitting defeat while sending seductive a quick wink in Cat's direction.

The sound of Lane's voice calling out, hurrying students to class, reminded the gang of what they were actually doing there. Jade and Cat headed to their lockers to grab the books they needed for the day, telling the other that they would catch up with them as they headed to their next lesson.

"Thanks for covering for me there," Jade told Cat once the others had left. "I didn't really want them to know about this morning."

"I know." Cat replied. "But they wouldn't judge you or anything if they knew the truth."

"I just don't need their pity," Jade replied, pulling the final book out of her locker.

"What about their support?" Cat suggested.

"I've gotten this far without it." Jade shrugged, her words dark but delivered in a less sombre tone. "I've got you, and that's enough."

* * *

As they did every day, the teens had an acting lesson with Sikowitz, and like every day it was very weird and extremely chilled out. Sikowitz's class were by far their favourite... mainly because they never did anything in them, and when they did, it was usually something ridiculously easy. Jade, of course, would never admit that she actually liked something (other than Cat obviously) but she actually enjoyed Sikowitz's wacky teachings and the activities he made them do. And... well, it was Jade's chance to be someone else. Not that she didn't like who she was but in the sketches she free to be whatever, whoever she wanted to be. And nobody would judge her, because it's just acting. Basically, she didn't care what people thought of her, and she liked that they were scared of her, but she thought it was nice to be able to do something without consequences. She hated consequences.

10 minutes after the bell had rung, Sikowitz was nowhere to be seen, so all of the students were doing what most teenagers do sitting in their chairs, immersed in their phones. Somewhere silently rocking out to music in their headphones, other not so quietly, some were playing on app-games and others were just scrolling across social media. You know, the normal stuff that people do with their phones to pass the time. "Look at this!" Cat giggled as she shoved her phone in Jade's face, showing her a short video of two playing puppies together that she'd just come across.

"Very cute," Jade said bluntly, not even looking up from her own hand-held screen.

"You didn't look at it." Cat pouted.

"It's a video of some dogs," Jade told her.

"How did you know that without looking?" Cat asked, her eyes slightly wide and head tilted to the side.

"It's always a video of some dogs."

"Nuh-uh!" Cat pouted. "...sometimes it's other cute animals."

"Sikowitz is coming!" One of the 'shruggers', who had been sat on watch, announced to the class. Within moments, every piece of technology was away. No matter how chilled out Sikowitz was, he had some wacky punishments and no one wanted him taking their phones for a week as he had done before.

"Really? Where?" Sikowitz said as he walked into the room, doing some dramatic movements to try and find 'Sikowitz', everyone watching was unsure if he was joking or really didn't realise that he was Sikowitz. It took a few moments for the spinning and eye-scanning to stop, but once it did he merely walked up to the front of the room as if nothing had happened. "Why were you all so early?" He asked.

"We weren't early," Tori replied from her seat at the front row of the classroom. "You were late."

"Fiddle-sticks," Sikowitz announced. "I am never late."

"But it's over 10 minutes since the lesson was meant to begin," Robbie added.

"Time is a social construct, there is no "late" nor "early" -or, for that matter, "fashionably late.". A correct time does exist, everyone on this planet-whatever time zone they happen to be in- just follows the same clock." Sikowitz began to ramble.

"Yes, a clock that says you're 10 minutes late," Jade muttered, rolling her eyes at his antics.

"A speaking clock?" Sikowitz asked dumbly. "And they think I'm mad."

"You are," Jade added, making Cat giggle from beside her.

"If you're all so eager to start, then I shall begin!" Sikowitz announced, brandishing a pen as he started to write across the board.

It was at this point that Jade completely zoned out, knowing that anything Siowitz wrote on that board wouldn't be even remotely worth noting. Her mind wandering elsewhere, specifically to the girl next to her. Now, as we all know, Jade West is not an overly lovey-dovey kind of girl, but when her girlfriend was sat next her looking so god-damn adorable, she couldn't help but feel the butterflies fluttering around her stomach.

Hr big brown eyes were focused intensely at Sikowitz, as if she were mentally forcing herself to stay concentrated, despite his shenanigans. This reminded Jdde of what Cat had said earlier about the many things doctors thought she had, including ADHD. Cat was trying so hard to act normal, calm and focused, and that was somewhat of a sad thought. Jade shook her head to push the thought away, but her mind still stayed on Cat. Jade moved her attention from Cat's warm chocolate eyes to her olive skin and flawlessly sculpted lips, as if crafted by angels themselves; sitting this close to her Jade could see them clearly, glistening attractively with a cherry lip balm that added further rosy colour. All these features set together on a delicate almost, angelic face.

By this point, Jade was completely entranced by Cat, despite the girl not going anything to gain her attention, still trying to listen to their teacher. There was just such a strong attraction Jade help towards Cat. Like a magnet, a thought inside your head that says "There's something about her..." making you gravitate towards this extraordinary thing that has captured your attention, and the more you're exposed to it, the more you learn about it. It may bloom into something more, or you'll just lose interest and go find something else to be attracted to. Jade's attraction to Cat certainly bloomed, the flower's pollen spreading to completely elope her with the sensation. It was just something about Cat, she was the kind of person that was addictive to be around. When she smiled and laughed you couldn't help but smile along too, even if it was just on the inside. Her mood dictated yours, and more often than not she was happy, meaning you were too-

"Jade? Jade? Good Gandhi are you listening at all?" Sikowitz's voice interrupted.

"Huh?" Jade replied, snapping out of her Cat-centric trance. As her eyes focused back into reality, she was greeted by the realisation that the everyone in the room was looking at her, including Sikowitz, who was stood alone onstage.

"If you would kindly stop staring at Cat-" Sikowitz began, making the class giggle and the two girls blush equally pink colour. "I asked for you to choose two others to join you for a quick game of Alphabet Improv."

"Oh... um... I chose Cat." Jade replied instinctively. She always chose Cat went it came to acting scenes. IT wasn't only because they were so close, but it was as the one place Cat's randomness and vast imagination came in handy. She could make a scene from nothing and the stage was never boring with her on it.

"Good!" Sikowitz announced, clapping his hands together loudly as he spoke.

"What's the scene?" Cat asked the teacher, jumping up to walk to the stage.

"Hmmm." Sikwotiz contemplated, thinking of a task to set upon them. "You will act like a couple in a rough patch of sorts. Jade's character is troubled and Cat is eager to know why. Begin."

"This won't be hard," Jade muttered, quite enough for the only Cat to hear. "It will be practically method acting."

Once the girls had made it to the stage, Jade pulled up a chair to sit in, burying her head in her hands in a fake emotional breakdown of sorts. "What's the wrong Jadey? Why do you seem so down?" Cat started off the scene, mimicking a voice of concern that could very easily be thought of a genuine.

"Just deep in thought…" Jade replied bluntly, not looking up at Cat.

"About what?" Cat asked, walking behind Jade and carefully placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Nothing, I'm alright. Don't really want to get into it." Jade said back, shrugging off Cat's hand.

"…I wasn't going to say anything because I already knew that that would be your response." Cat began, sighing loudly as she spoke. "You've been like this a lot recently. On and off, hot and cold, happy, sad. Not acting like yourself at all. I want to know what's up. Tell me what's bothering you lately. Is it me? Not happy with me?" She started to ramble.

"It is about you but not like what you think," Jade admitted, looking up from her hunched over position. She was right with the 'method acting' thing, as without thinking she was relating her character's issues to her own real-life ones.

"Great. Now you're talking to me in riddles." Cat grumbled. Her personal reaction would have been more considerate than this, but she was acting and Jade's troubles were fake, so she was allowed to be harsh. "Can't you give me a straight answer and tell me what the hell is going on already? How does it involve me?"

"You know, there are some things I just don't want to talk about and you have to keep pushing me and pushing me. Why isn't that ever good enough? Why can't you back off?" Jade yelled, standing up from her chair and pushing it away behind her.

"If I was acting up and down like you've been, I guarantee you would be mad off about it." Cat huffed, crossing her arms over her chest in mock anger.

"Yeah, well I don't want to talk about it. So leave it alone…" Jade grumbled, turning her back on Cat.

"I'm not going to leave it alone. I feel that this is something serious and I won't back away until you tell me." Cat replied, walking around Jade to once again stand in front of her.

"Really?" Jade asked.

"Really."

"You will be waiting a very long time," Jade added

"I don't care."

"Don't play these stupid games with me, okay? Cause this stuff is for real. I'm feeling real emotions about certain things and I don't want to be played with."

"I don't care," Cat repeated.

"You drive me crazy." Jade sighed, folding her arms over her chest.

"You drive me crazy." Cat copied.

"Match made in heaven. I don't want to tell you just because you want me to tell—" Jade started.

"Fine! Don't!" Cat snapped.

"Okay…listen…this is hard for me because I don't–I'm not…I have a hard time being open like, you know? (beat) I have a difficult time sharing things that go on inside me, things that matter to me a great deal…I was brought up in a certain environment and I don't know, it's sometimes hard for me to connect." That's the way to get Jade to do something, tell her not to do it and she will do the opposite.

"I understand," Cat said curtly.

"You know…I think about things, things I shouldn't think about. I get caught up with all this nonsense in my head and I get stressed and it brings me down." Jade sighed, uncrossing her arms as she spoke.

"What things, Jadey? What things do you think about?" Cat begged.

"I feel like such a wimp telling you this…that's my problem though…I don't want to be soft." Jade told her honestly.

"You're not soft. I don't look at you that way." Cat said, looking at Jade with her big down puppy-dog eyes.

"Yeah…you're gonna think I'm stupid but I'll just tell you… I'm scared for you to get hurt; you're all I've got, and I can't lose you. I love you and can't help thinking about how I want to grow old with you and I'm just so scared that I could lose you…"

"That's what's been going on all this time?" Cat asked, to which Jade nodded in reply. Cat slowly walked towards Jade, taking her hands in her own.

"I love you so much," Jade stated suddenly, her character's persona now broken as she stood there as herself, looking deep into Cat's eyes.

"I love you too, Jade," Cat replied, lifting herself onto her tiptoes, pressing her lips into Jade's. When their lips made contact, everything else was driven from their minds; the stage, the characters, the class. It was just Cat and Jade stood there, hand in hand, slowly kissing, their lips hardly moving as they tentatively brushed over each other. Jade's hand rested below Cat's ear, her thumb caressing Cat's cheek as their breaths mingled. Cat ran her fingers down Jade spine, pulling her closer until there was no space left between them and she could feel the beating of Jade's heart against her chest. They were completely lost in the moment until a coughing noise was made and the sound of awkward clapping reached their ears, pulling them back to reality and quickly away from each other. The class were looking up at them on the stage, unsurely applauding their performance which they knew, just by the look on their faces, had lasted a lot longer than it should have, or, more like, the kiss at the end had lasted a lot longer than it should have. The class were obviously aware of the girl's relationship, and no one was against it by any means, but their task was not to do an onstage kiss, and certainly not one that intense.

"W... well-done girls." Sikowitz congratulated them. "Very... realistic portrayal there."

"Thanks," Cat replied, her face now as red as her hair as she made her way back to her seat, Jade in tow.

Despite the awkwardness to his words, SIkowitz was right, the whole scene was very realistic. Their argument was the perfect reenactment of how things would have gone differently in the morning if the girls were in a worse mood. They'd never fought before, and they doubted they ever would. Cat was just too calm to fight and Jade could never yell at Cat without automatically feeling horrible about it. Even in their scene, they couldn't last for more than a few minutes. They balanced each other too well to have a proper fight; they really were a 'match made in heaven'. And they hoped this would last forever.

Anyway, to save the girls from any further embarrassment, Sikowitz moves onto teaching the class about 'stage sleeping'. Basically, he rambled for a few minutes, before lying on the ground and closing his eyes. For a while, the class were unsure whether the man would jump up again to scare them, but it was shortly determined that he was zonked out on coconut milk and using 'stage sleeping' as an excuse for it. Therefore, the class went back to their previous actions of sitting and focusing on their phones.


	35. Chapter 35

After the day of school had finished, Jade and Cat started their half-an-hour walk back home again. Beck offered to drive them, but Cat once again covered for Jade by telling him that they wanted the exercise. Of course, he was weary, but let them go anyway despite the distance and cold.

"How does a Canadian think 60 degrees (F) is cold? I swear it goes to 0 degrees there in the winter." Jade commented as they walked away.

"It is a little cold," Cat said, hugging her hoodie tight around her.

"I'll warm you up." Jade shrugged, draping her arm over Cat's shoulders, pulling her close as they walked.

"That was smooth." Cat giggled, leaning into Jade's side, embracing the contact.

"I do try." Jade winked, a small smirk resting across her lips as they continued to walk tightly together.

As previously mentioned, the walk home was about half-an-hour, reminding Jade of how annoying her trecks to and from school used to be before she got a driver's license. When they were only about 15 minutes in, Jade was already tired, mentally noting that she should really invest in a treadmill to work up some stamina. She dreaded to think how Cat was doing with her back-pain, swelled feet and obviously the extra weight from the baby. Cat had been trying so hard to hide any pain and discomfort she felt, but Jade could see it from a mile off. "How're you doing?" Jade spoke up.

"With what?" Cat asked.

"Walking," Jade replied.

"I'm good," Cat said back, slightly confused. "It's only walking, I've been doing it most of my life."

Jade couldn't help but shake her head at Cat's retorts sometimes, they were both funny and adorably delivered. Adding on the fact that she was now imagining baby Cat taking her first steps with dark-brown curly hair and a little pink outfit, the smile had now grown.

"Oh god!" Cat announced suddenly, her hand rushing to her baby bump.

"What?!" Jade said in worry, her smile suddenly fading. "Is everything okay?"

"I can't believe that she'll have her first steps soon," Cat replied, clearly she had been thinking a similar thing to Jade.

"I thought something had happened." Jade sighed in relief. "And she's not even born yet Cat, walking is over a year away."

"Oh yeah, you're right." Cat giggled to herself.

"Your mind amazes me sometimes." Jade shook her head, once again smiling to herself.

"Thank you," Cat replied, missing the slight sarcasm in Jade's voice.

"You're welcome," Jade replied curtly, placing a quick kiss on Cat's forehead.

* * *

Eventually, they did make it home, and once they did they both automatically jumped onto the couch, Cat laying across it with her head on Jade's lap. "We really need to do more exercise," Jade commented, noting how tired she was after only an hour of walking (30 mins to school in the morning and 30 back).

"I've got an excuse, don't make me so exercise." Cat giggled.

"The school should really make us do gym at least." Jade sighed. "How do they even get away with us skipping that?"

"Dance counts as the exercise I think." Cat shrugged.

"But neither of us take dance," Jade replied.

"I used to." Cat replied.

"That's 'cause you're amazing at anything to do with the Arts," Jade replied. "Imagine me trying to dance," She continued, laughing to herself. "That would be horrible. But I'd probably still be better than Trina."

"I sometimes wish I was better at academic stuff," Cat mumbled. "Yeah singing, dancing and acting are great, but I can't do maths without a calculator."

"We talked about this earlier-" Jade started. "We go to a Performing Arts school, the whole point is to be good at the performing arts."

"But what about when we go into the real world?" Cat asked.

"Then you'll find a job in that industry."

"How?" Cat asked. "I can't go to college to learn how to build up my carrier, and even if I could then how would I work with a baby?"

"We'll find a way," Jade told her honestly. "You're too talented to waste these gifts in a 'normal job'."

"You promise?" Cat asked, unable to disguise her hope.

"I promise. We'll work this out somehow." Jade replied. "Maybe you could start small, posting some of your songs to Youtube? You never know, one of them could go viral or something."

"I never thought about that." Cat pondered. "Thank you Jadey!" She said, pulling herself upright and giving her girlfriend a quick kiss.

"You're very kissy today." Jade smiled.

"Are you complaining?" Cat asked.

"Absolutely not," Jade winked, placing her hand on Cat's jawline and pulling her back in for another, deeper, kiss.

This, unsurprisingly, lead to a long make-out session resulting in a lot of ruffled hair, pucked red lips and even a hickey or two; they were seemingly continuing from where they'd left off in Sikowitz's classroom. It was the furthest they'd really gone with each other, both of them unsure whether to take it to the next level. Undoubtedly, they were ready for it, but Jade was being so careful to not rush things and Cat was too worried to make the move and be rejected again. Though, while their lips were locked with intense passion; all logic went out of the window.

As Cat's kisses once again trailed down from Jade's cherry lips, along her jawline and to her neck, a wave of pure pleasure ran through Jade's entire body. To Cat's, Jade perfume was just so intoxicating, making the scenery disappear around her and she was utterly lost in the moment. Jade's skin tingled as Cat's plump lips once again made contact with her neck. Cat's hand ran through her hair, as the kisses became harder and more urgent. Both girls had lost all rational thought, just consumed at the thought of each other and showing their ever growing love. Unconsciously, Jade's hand slid around Cat's waist and pulled her close to her curvy body. Cat's kisses were now on her shoulders and in her hair, Jade was amazed at how one touch of Cat's lips could hitch her breath. As she held Cat close, Jade's hand slowly snuck under Cat's shirt, lightly caressing the skin as it travelled over her baby-bump and continued upwards. Now it was Cat's turn for her breath to leave her. She couldn't help but gasp against Jade's neck as the older girl's hand reached her bra line. Jade momentarily paused, her hand lingering as slight rationality came back to her, but as Cat pushed herself towards Jade's hand, Jade's hand once again continued upwards. Lightly, she placed her hand over Cat's bra, her hand covering it fully, and Cat was so responsive to the touch. As soon as Jade's hand was upon it, Cat's kisses change, deeper, more sensual. Slowly, Jade pushed Cat's bra down under her shirt, allowing her hand to lightly touch the soft, sensitive skin beneath it. "Mhmm." Cat moaned, pushing herself further to Jade.

"You sure?" Jade whispered, still unsure of her actions.

"Yes," Cat replied instantly, re-latching her lips onto Jade's, her movements steeped in passion.

Even with Cat's baby-bump between them, their bodies were still so close on the couch that they could feel each other's heartbeat through their skin. Lust fueled their every movement, their hands skillfully moving around each other's bodies They were kissing like crazy. Like their lives depend on it. Cat's hand sneaked up Jade's shirt to reach her, much bigger, breasts. Their veins throbbed and hearts exploded. They had never felt lust like this with anyone before. Ever. Not even with ex-lovers. It felt wonderful. Their hands were everywhere, and it didn't matter that they were already as close as they could physically get, they still wanted to be closer and closer and closer-

_DIIIIIING DOOOONG_

The doorbell. Of course. Its harsh ring snapped both girls quickly out of their love-induced trance, jumping like the button was hardwired to their brains. "Ah!" Cat squealed, the shock sending her flinching backwards, off the couch and crashing into the hard floor below her.

"Are you okay?!" Jade yelled, jumping off the couch beside her, checking she wasn't hurt.

Luckily, she wasn't. In fact, she was laughing, beside herself, in a sort of hysterics. Apparently, she found the interruption deeply funny and falling of the couch was just the punchline. "T... the... door." Cat gasped out between giggles, reminding Jade that someone actually needed to answer it.

"Right, yeah," Jade mumbled, climbing to her feet to open the front door. After making it across the door to the door, she roughly pulled it open. "What do you want?" She grumbled at the middle-aged delivery man at the door.

"You... your package." The man replied timidly, unable to hide his shock as he looked at the girl before him. In her rush to answer the door, she'd forgotten to fix her appearance.

"Thanks," Jade growled, quickly signing for the small parcel as she took it from the man's grip, swiftly shutting the door in his face.

"Hehehe." Cat continued to giggle, still not moved from the floor.

"What?" Jade asked, her tone softened but still with a hint of displeasure.

"Look in the mirror." Cat replied quickly, stifling another laugh.

"Why?" Jade replied, spinning to look at the wall-mirror by their door. "CAT!" She yelled, finally getting a solid look at her hair-ruffled, smudged-lipstick, dazed appearance. "How could you let me answer the door like this?"

"You look beautiful." Cat winked, smoothening down her own hair and she sat upright.

"Oh, I'm so getting my revenge." Jade retorted.

"How about tonight?" Cat winked, smirking seductively.

"We'll see," Jade replied in an equal tone.

"So what's in the parcel?" Cat asked, her mind going on a tangent.

"Another thing for the nursery I think," Jade replied, looking at the small box in her hand.

"Oooh yay!" Cat said happily. Over the last few weeks, the two girls had brought every decoration humanly possible for the nursery, which now resembled more of a storage room filled largely with furniture boxes and smaller packages littering the floor. They hadn't gotten around to painting it yet, especially with Jade's damaged shoulder, but they were going to do it some point soon.

"So... I... uh." Jade started to stammer, looping the conversation back to their make-out session. "All of that was okay right?" She asked.

"Totally!" Cat replied. "I've been wanting to get more... um physically, for a while now." She said honestly. "I just wasn't sure if you were ready or not."

"I am now," Jade replied. In truth, she'd been ready for a while, but she was adamant not to rush things. She didn't want Cat to think she was just using her like boys had done to her in the past, but they were at that point now where she'd proved herself as genuinely caring for her. It had been somewhat hard sleeping next to Cat every night and having to suppress her teenage urges, and she knew Cat had been fighting her instinct too, but they were finally ready to allow their true feelings to surface. And surface they would.


	36. Chapter 36

Jade POV

It's been a few hours since our intense make-out session where we admitted how we deeply we truly felt about each other, and it's been on my mind ever since. A massive part of me wanted to drag her upstairs straight away but that just didn't feel right. I couldn't seem too desperate for it, but the wait was killing me. It needed to be slow and planned, not a spontaneous action that we may have ended up regretting afterwards. That doesn't stop the thoughts though, and the accompanying mental images that distract me to no end, that make me bite my lip in an effort not to swear at the feelings they stir. I can hear Cat gasp in my mind, hear her say my name, see her eyes roll back in her head as she moans and... and I want to do it, I do. I... I'm Jade West. I don't get nervous. I play things cool. When I lost my virginity to Beck, it was slow and romantic, and it just didn't seem like that big of a deal. It was just sex, although it was with someone I loved. I didn't freak out about it. But I guess I've already established that my relationship with Cat is much different to what I had with Beck. I've never felt quite like this with anyone, and all this waiting... it makes me want it so much more. And somehow, knowing that Cat had had so many bad experiences, and knowing that I can give her the experience she deserves with someone who truly cares... it makes me want it that much more. To show her how sex can be a good thing, not just a tool to get someone to love you. I want to show her how much I care, and I want her to realise that I'm definitely not going anywhere.

It's never been Cat that's the problem. It's me. I want to show her all those things, and even more, I want to satisfy these urges she stirs in me, but the fact is, she has had bad experiences, there is that to overcome. She would've... I could've slept with her already, she would've let me, she's even initiated the idea before. But I couldn't take advantage of her like that, as I'm sure she only did it because she was too scared not to, scared that I'll leave her if she doesn't give me what I want. It's all so delicate... but I don't think I can wait any longer.

I think Cat can feel it too, the tension. She's not that oblivious, after all. She always manages to see what I hide away, sometimes I swear she's psychic. We're just sat on the couch, our empty dinner plates discarded on the coffee table in front of us, watching something on the TV, and I can feel her eyes scanning over my frame as if searching for something. I turn my head to look at her when she suddenly leans over to kiss me, just softly, my breath hitches. Within milliseconds, all focus on anything but her is gone and I deepen the kiss, almost too quickly, Cat responding with just as much passion. "C-can we go to our room?" Cat says quickly, her hands trembling in her lap. I lick my lips, swallowing hard, and nod.

I take her hand in mine and together we jump off of the couch and run up the stairs. We're the epitome of two rowdy teenagers as we burst into our room, slamming the door closed behind us. I barely have time to process the change of scenery before Cat's hands are on my shoulders, pushing me towards our large bed. She's certainly eager, that's for sure, I'm just hoping its for the right reasons. I pause in my tracks, and I see a flash of worry in her eyes that tells me she thinks she's gone too far again. She hasn't, I just want to savour the time.

I pull her close to me again, my lips ploughing into hers. My hand lowers and I start to tug on the hem of her hoodie. She smiles against my lips and I pull away, getting a better grip on the fabric and pull it upwards off of her, throwing it onto the ground behind me. Her skin is flawless, smooth, and I itch to touch over every inch of it. I've seen her in a bra before, but it just means so much more in a heated moment like this. And even with her baby bump, I can still see every inch of her curvy figure. I take a step back from her for a moment, my hands regretfully leaving the curve of her waist. I need a breath, and to just... to just see her. I grab the hem of my own shirt, lifting it over my head, resenting the moment she disappears out of my sight. Her eyes are so huge, and dark, so filled with awe as she lifts a trembling hand to touch me.

"Are... are you sure?" She says slowly, her voice light and breathy. I can tell she's so scared to go too fast again so I had to be the on to initiate things.

I nod briefly, and kiss her slowly, taking her hands and putting them on me. Her palms are hot against my skin, skimming over my ribs and raising goosebumps in their wake. She pulls me closer, and we meet in a slow kiss, my own hands sliding over the bare skin of her back, moving down to push down her leggings. I break the kiss, pushing myself closer to her as I fumble with gripping the elastic hem, Cat's bare bump brushing my torso, her breath hot on my throat, short and nervous. Cat wears tight leggings, and don't think I haven't noticed so when I finally get a good grip and I try to swiftly work the material down and she steps out of them. My fingers brush over the curve of her butt, and there's such a thin layer of material there; just the flimsy cotton of her underwear between me and her skin.

I shiver as Cat's hands brush the front of my stomach, the muscles quivering as she tentatively works on the catch to my jeans, her knuckles brushing the sensitive skin. She gets them undone, looking up at me, and I can see the want in her eyes. I move a little back from her, putting my hands to my undone jeans and shimmying out of them, stepping out of the pooled denim. I take the opportunity to study her. I've seen her in a bikini before, but this... this is much more personal, much more intimate. Her bra is a push-up pink, which hints to me that she'd been planning this, as normally she's been wearing maternity bras. It's a little small for her now bigger breasts, but I'm not complaining about that.

As I step forward again, I use a hand to gently stroke her ruby hair, using my other hand to tilt her chin up. I capture her in a gentle kiss. Then it's Cat who breaks away to take an uneven breath, returning to kiss me with more fervour. Her hands slowly moving to my waist, and it's her that backs us towards the bed. She pulls herself back on the bed, watching me, waiting for me to follow her down, and my heart almost stops at that moment.

I climb on also, sat directly in front of her, practically as close as I could get with the baby bump between us. I run my fingertips stroking along the smooth skin of her arm, the muscles shivering under my fingers, and I skate them up along her body, over the bumps of her top ribs, over her breast. I lean in again to kiss her, Cat meeting me eagerly, and I can already feel the heat building between our bodies, can already feel that intense longing in me, vibrating through me. My fingers touch over Cat's bra lightly, her body jerking and her leg pressing up against mine. I bite my lip; it's a very, very nice feeling.

I smirk as I notice something. Cat's bra - it's a front hook. I wiggle a finger under it, grinning at Cat. "Front hook?"

A smile quirks her face, and she says breathily, "I might have planned this." I knew it. I kiss her lightly, feeling her grin against my lips again. My fingers fumble with the catch, nervous. I manage to unhook it, feeling the material slacken in my hands. My hands are trembling... I can't stop them. This... this has never happened before. I run my eyes over her, devouring her, and she's beautiful. Her breasts are smaller than mine, but so perfectly formed, and whatever I'd imagined, whatever image I'd formed from touching them, from seeing them clothed... it doesn't compare to this.

I touch her breasts tentatively, Cat pushing herself forward into my hands. I know I have to be careful due to their pregnancy-induced tenderness so I keep a mental note in my mind. She's soft where Beck was hard muscle. I can't help but compare them, they're the only experiences I've had. Beck was big, lanky... he was solid. Cat's tiny, and fragile, and I feel like I could break her so easily if I'm not careful. And... and there's something about that just appeals to me. I kiss Cat fervently, a thrill running through me. I like being in control, but I'm starting to like losing it too. I run my tongue over Cat's bottom lip, just to get a taste of her before I move my lips to her neck, kissing along her throat, her pulse throbbing against my lips. She's got a beautiful body, and looking at her, touching her, makes me want to taste every inch of it, to devour her.

"Oh, Cat..." I say in a soft, shivery voice. The things she's doing to me. I feel her fingers find their way, shaking, to brush over my panties. We're still both sat upright, our bodies pressed up against each other. My hands follow suit, trailing down near soft skin I exhale hard, feeling the soaked material. Another thread of my control torn loose. Cat almost whimpers as I rub my fingers over her. I stop almost immediately. I can't- I hook my fingers in the waistband of her panties, dragging them down, Cat raising her hips off the bed to help me. My own soon follow; they only served as an irritation, anyway.

I take a deep breath to calm myself, my hand resting on Cat's inner thigh. "Are you sure?" I scan her face. Once I start... I don't think I'll be able to stop. I'm borderline as it is.

Cat's fingertips brush my jawline gently. "I really want to." I kiss her again, my eyes shut tight, Cat leaning into me with a soft sound.

"Good," I whisper I can feel her hand on my own thigh. "Cause I want this too." It was as if this was all Cat needed to hear for her to unleash her true passion. Until now, I had been mostly in control, or at least I thought I was. But suddenly, Cat's hands were against my shoulders, pushing me back into the bed, the silky sheets moulding around me as I sunk into them. Suddenly, she's crawling on top of her, straddling my thighs under her own. Her frame is so intoxicating as I day back, taking in her form. Slowly, she starts to lean down to me, and I have to tilt myself upwards to reach her lips, both of us manoeuvring slightly as to not crush the baby bump between us. Her hand trails down my body as our lips lock, my hips unconsciously jolting upwards into hers. A shudder running through me. It feels... amazing. I can't help but moan slightly as we touch.

"J-jade... you're so beautiful." She says in a hushed tone, pulling away momentarily as her hand continues to wander down. I can't stop a smile trembling across my face, and I move to kiss her again. I can't not. It's the only way to make sure I don't say anything stupid.

I break away again with a soft gasp as her fingers come into direct contact in between my thighs and her fingertips brush over my clit, and I bite my lip, trying not to buck up against her. She moves further down, and I'm already so slick, so wet for her, that her fingers slide in easily. I can't stop the moan that escapes me, feeling Cat inside me. Oh God. Oh... it's every bit as good as I'd imagined. Cat kisses my jawline, whispering into my ear in amazement. "You're so... wet."

They are words I'd never imagined Cat uttering, but it's so sexy when she does. She's making me moan, and gasp, and twitch. Cat swallows hard as she moves her fingers down, positioning them. I bite my lip in anticipation, and I can feel her hand trembling against my thigh. I've never felt this much longing, this much lust for anyone before. She pushes her fingers into me slowly, I can't help but whimper as they slide in easily. She leans forward again and kisses my neck lightly, tenderly. "Are you okay?"

I shiver, Cat's fingers moving inside me, managing to nod quickly. I'm letting her make me vulnerable now... I'm letting myself be vulnerable. And it's scary. The old me would never have let herself be this open. Even now my instincts are screaming at me, telling me that I should take control again, but I push away those thoughts to enjoy the moment.

Cat moves her fingers tentatively, working up a hesitant rhythm. It doesn't matter... I still feel that pleasure crawl inside me, scratching at my spine. Cat's lips still skitter over me, tracing over my neck, and I know she can feel my pulse, feel how hard my heart is beating. She kisses over my pulse point, her fingers stroking my walls, making me even wetter.

I feel myself start to heat up, biting my lip as my hips push up into Cat involuntarily, wanting more friction than the gentle strokes she's giving. I groan, panting. It's not enough... this pleasure... it feels good, so good, but it's too soft... it's just teasing me. I can't stop myself from pleading, back arching. "P-please Cat... harder..." Her breath keeps puffing against my neck, shaky, and she starts to thrust faster inside me, her fingers moving more forcefully. I moan, surprised, feeling a burst of pleasure, stronger than the flicker of feeling that had been crawling inside me before. I swallow hard, trying to suppress most of the noises I want to make as Cat gains confidence, pushing into me even harder, her lips still tremoring against my neck for a few moments at a time, broken only by her short breaths.

My breath hitches in my throat, the pleasure building quickly, helped along by the fact that this is Cat... she's had an effect on me that no one else has, waking an appetite in me that didn't know existed. I've never opened myself like this... never let myself be so vulnerable. This is Cat who's trying so hard, whose lips are so fervent against my skin, whose naked body is pressed against mine. Sweet, naive, broken, little Cat. I try to stop my nails from digging into her back, and my fingers trembling. I can't stop myself as Cat ups the pace, pushing me even closer to the edge, making arch up off the bed into her. Cat gasps, her body jerking against me, and I bite my lip hard, muscles tensing as I'm sent over, trying to stop the cries that want to come out, unsuccessfully. "Oh...Cat..." I can't help but whimper, my breath sobbing out as pleasure courses through me, making me tighten around Cat's fingers. My chest heaves as I take in a breath, starting to come down from the pure wave of pleasure, panting slightly.

Cat looks at me hopefully, a smile trembling at the corners of her mouth. "D-did I make you...?"

I answer with a kiss, pouring the last remnants of my pleasure into it. I break away when I need to take a breath, the muscles in my body still trembling. As my body completely collapses against the bed, I feel Cat roll off of me, laying beside me, her increased breathing matching mine. I've never felt so vulnerable around anyone before. This was more than just an urge, it was a need. I feel my heartbeat start to slow, our breath still uneven, our bodies cooling as I move to lie beside her, my arms circling her. It's silent but for the sound of our breathing, the sound of my heart thundering painfully. "I... I love you." She whispers softly.

"I love you too," I reply honestly, my entire being still buzzing with pure ecstasy.

I guess I am just as vulnerable as Cat is, I think. I just never show it. If you pretend you don't have feelings for long enough, you start to think you don't. These aren't emotions that Jade has. Jade is strong, Jade is tough. If Jade doesn't have feelings, they can't get hurt. But I am feeling these things... I'm not Jade. Not anymore, not the Jade everyone knows. I'm the Jade only Cat knows. I've fallen in love with Cat, and it's made me soft, and I can't help but say I like it.

Cat makes a soft noise of contentment, snuggling into me harder, her hair tickling me. There's that smile on my face again, the one I once hated because it can't be contained. There's my heart racing again, thudding so crazily. I'm not the Jade I was. I'm the soft girl underneath, the one who's hidden for so long until Cat found her, cowering and pretending not to exist. The one that Cat has coaxed out, who's still scared, but not ready to hide again anytime soon. I'm not ready to give up this feeling. This happiness.

As soon as I recovered enough to pull myself upright, I look down upon Cat's perfect frame. What she'd just done to me was pure heaven, and it's only right to return the favour. Slowly, I trace my hand along her thigh, as she had done to me, and I moved carefully on top of her. "Are you sure?" Cat asked tentatively. Once again, I couldn't help but feel a pang in my heart. She was so used to satisfying her partners and getting nothing in return.

"Yes." I nodded briefly, pulling her up slightly for another deep kiss, the cycle repeating but with me in control this time. She's so delicate and it pains me to know that there is still a part of her mind that associates me with her past lovers. In time we will grow to change that, but for now, I still need to prove myself to her.


	37. Chapter 37

The Next Morning

Jade POV

I'm awake before Cat is, sunlight filtering into the room and staining her smooth skin, dappling it. I don't move except to tilt my head so I can see her better. She's curled along me, my arm around her, her face nestled into me. She sleeps like a child, so soundly, so deeply. She makes a soft sound, snuggling into me harder, her breath exhaling against my skin. She's waking up.

Sex changes everything. It does, no matter how much you pretend it doesn't. You've stripped yourself raw in front of this person, you've given them your body and let them do what they want with it. And maybe some people can do that easily, maybe to some people it doesn't matter, but it does to me. Many it does to Cat too. I'm scared... sex changes everything. I don't want things to change, things between us are perfect as they at.

Cat makes a soft squeak, stretching, her skin sliding against mine. Her eyes open, face turning up to look at me. She smiles. "Hi." I feel my lips turn up in response to Cat's radiant smile. Cat takes a deep breath, stretching her limbs out and leaning up, capturing me in a soft kiss. It's sweet, slow... short. It's strangely satisfying, and it wakes me up a surprising amount, like a jolt of caffeine. Cat pulls away, snuggling back into me, her fingers tracing over my stomach in lazy circles. "You're still here." She murmurs softly, that smile still on her face.

My stomach flip flops under Cat's fingers. I can't believe that she really thought I wouldn't be here, no... I live here, why wouldn't I be here? I don't think she thought about that though. Maybe it's just a reflex for her after sex... that's gotta be worse though. I let out a long, deep breath, hugging her to me. "I'm still here."

A soft grin splits Cat's face, and she looks up at me again, her eyes sparkling. "Should we put some clothes on?"

I let my eyes run over her bare body appreciatively. "Not just yet."

Cat rolls over onto her stomach to hit me lightly on the shoulder, grinning. "Jade!"

I move my hands to her slim waist, fingernails skimming over the warm skin. I like holding her, feeling where her hips curve. It feels solid, it feels real.

Cat kisses me, her skin warm and smooth where my hands skim over her. She deepens the kiss, her tongue flicking over my bottom lip, and I feel myself start to heat up, feel that throb between my legs, my hands gripping her tighter. I lean up into the kiss as Cat moves to straddle me, a hand caressing my breast gently. Things are starting to get hot and heavy, as I break away to pant for breath, feeling that insistent pull between my legs.

Then we freeze at the sound of an alarm, the repeated high-pitched buzzing echoing around our ears. Cat's eyes widen suddenly at the interruption, before she moves off me, scrabbling on our bedside table to turn it off. "That's the second time we've been interrupted by ringing noises," I comment.

"Just our luck." She giggled, winking at me. "But we do need to get up now if we want to get into school on time, especially with our walk."

"Since when were you the responsible one?" I asked, reluctantly pulling myself out of bed.

"It's gotta be one of us." She responds quickly, giving me a quick peck on the lips before walking away into the en-suite bathroom to get ready for the day.

* * *

"You two seem happy," Beck commented as Cat and I joined the rest of the group, stood in the hallway beside Tori's locker, our usual pre-lesson meeting place. I wasn't aware they or jovialness was obvious enough to be instantly pointed out, but in hindsight, my bright smile was a dead giveaway. I never smile, and suddenly I'm grinning from ear to ear, like a child pumped-full of candy, or like Cat.

"Oh, we are," I smirk, my hand squeezing Cat's, our fingers tightly linked between us.

"I feel like I need to take a picture or something-" Tori spoke up. "I mean, for actual proof that Jade has the ability to smile." She joked, making the others laugh. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at them.

"_I know how to make you smile anytime I like,_" Cat whispered into my ear, positioning herself on tiptoes to reach, her words buried by the other's laughter. I couldn't help but bite my lip at Cat's words. She'd suddenly turned so seductive, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't enjoying it.

"That works both ways," I whisper back.

"First smiling boldly and now whispering to each other?" Andre spoke up. "What's going on?"

"We _are_ dating Andre." Cat reminded him. "We're allowed our own little secrets."

"Yeah, we don't pry into yours and Tori's business," I added.

"Fair enough." Andre retreated, raising his arms in mock surrender to us.

* * *

As Songwriting class rolled around, Cat and Tori were once again in a separate music room, trying to figure out how to start their new assignment. Technically it was a solo project, but Cat and Tori just worked so well together that they figured if they made their songs in the same room, they could still bounce ideas off of each other.

They were half an hour into the lesson and Cat had already created a great guitar chord progression and simple drum-beat overlay for a mid-tempo pop and R&B song (in the key E minor, and time signature 6/8). Pre-ahead of any lyric writing, she had decided to do an instrumental based bridge and was already working on the guitar riff for it as she thought it would be a good way to start creating a melody.

Tori, on the other hand, had the title and chorus of her song. No vocal or instrumental backings what so ever, apart from the bass chord progression that she knew fitted with the chosen key. Though she was a creative writer and had a powerful voice, she was musically years behind her red-headed friend, and sometimes she couldn't help but feel slightly jealous of her. "ARGH!" Tori yelled as she messed up her drum-beat on the electronic kit for the 10th time, wanting to lay it ontop her chords similarly to how Cat had.

"You really shouldn't be doing that with a broken arm you know," Cat spoke up.

"It's fine," Tori replied calmly. In all truth, her arm was still pretty banged-up and moving her wrist like that was becoming quite painful. Though, Tori was a very stubborn person and wasn't going to back down from this.

"You want some help at least?" Cat asked, looking up as she continued to try and write what was becoming a very complicated, rock-based guitar bridge solo.

"No," Tori growled to herself. "I can do it." She took a deep breath, pressing record on the machine again and hitting the snare, high-hat and pressing the bass pedal in relative rhythm, before messing it up again moments later. In all fairness, it was a very fast-paced song, but she was still getting frustrated at how Cat had pulled off her own, more complex, beat in only 3 attempts. Tori kept telling herself that it was because of her broken arm, but in reality, she knew things wouldn't have been much different without it.

"Couldn't you just play it slower and then speed it up in editing?" Cat suggested. "Or just use one of the software provides beats."

"You know we get marked down for that," Tori mumbled. "Plus I can do it."

"You're also holding one of the sticks upside down." Cat pointed out.

"No I'm-" Tori began, looking down to see that, in fact, she was. "Damn it!" She yelled, throwing the stick to the ground in frustration. "Ah!" She gasped in pain. The arm she'd just flicked forward to throw the stick with was her broken one.

"A...are you okay Tori?" Cat asked, placing her guitar on its stand and slowly making her way over to Tori.

"I'm fine." She growled.

"I'm not stupid." Cat scoffed. "I know you're not okay."

"I wish you were stupid," Tori mumbled under her breath. "Then you wouldn't be so damn good at everything."

"Huh?" Cat asked, unable to hear what Tori had just said.

"I said 'I wish you were stupid. Then you wouldn't be so damn good at everything.'" She repeated.

"I...I'm not good at everything though," Cat replied, her voice filled with confusion.

"You can play any instrument in this room, you can read and write music as if it were English, your voice was like a 4-octave range-" Tori began, listing off Cat's various talents. "- you learn your lines faster than anyone in acting, the outfits you make are better than most shops sell, you-"

"Stop." Cat interpreted, shaking her head. "You're starting to sound like Jade."

"Huh?" Tori asked.

"I had this conversation with her yesterday, and I'm going to reply with the same thing I told her: I suck at everything academic, places where you succeed. Yes, I can sew some fabrics together to make a dress, but I can't complete a maths exam or write a proper English essay without help." Cat retorted.

"Your maths isn't that bad," Tori told her bluntly.

"I sometimes forget 3 when I'm counting!" Cat sighed. "That's not normal."

"That's stupid, no you don't." Tori shook her head.

"Seriously, I do," Cat responded, looking down at her feet in embarrassment.

"Come on Cat, how do you forget 3?"

"I don't know alright!" Cat yelled suddenly.

"You never do that in music..." Tori mumbled. "When you're counting bar beats, surely if you forgot a beat it would mess everything up."

"Music is different." Cat sighed. "I can visualise it, and hear it. Maths is just a bunch of boring number, music is so much more than that."

"I never realised you struggle that much," Tori replied.

"That's why I'm here, at Hollywood Arts. If I went to a normal school like my parents wanted, then I wouldn't have all these creative subjects to boost my grades and I wouldn't be graduating this year." Cat mumbled in response.

These words hit Tori like a metaphorical truck. Here she was getting jealous of Cat's talents, thinking she found everything so easy when in reality Cat struggled more than anyone. Tori suddenly started thinking back to the study session they'd shared in the past, and how Cat would always try to avoid English, maths and science. She always presumed it was because she just didn't want to do it, but now she knew it was because she physically couldn't do it and maybe didn't want to show it. "I'm always here to help you if you need," Tori said.

"Thank you." Cat smiled weakly, her eyes still focused on the ground below her. "The same with me helping you, which brings us back to your drum beat. Can I help you now?"

"Yes please," Tori nodded; handing Cat the sticks.

"Kay kay," Cat smiled, glad to help, "just tell me what to do."


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N at the end of this chapter, I've added a semi-long story of my day today for no reason other than to complain about it. You can read it or not, but I think it's kinda funny/stupid/wtf so I wanted to share.**

* * *

The following Saturday, Jade and Cat invited all of their friends over for a chill-out day at their house. They would order pizzas and spend a bit of time studying, but overall the point of the day was to decorate the baby's nursery. Over the last few weeks, the girls had brought everything they needed to make the room perfect for their little girl, meaning it only needed paint on the walls and the furniture to be put together until it would be complete.

The nursery room itself was a decent size, looking even larger without anything inside it. Until now, Cat and Jade had been storing everything baby-related inside in an ever-growing pile of boxes, but they'd moved it all out in the morning to give them more space while painting. Jade was almost shocked at how nice the room was, as she hadn't had a proper use for it before Cat moved in so she never went in there. The room's walls were already plain white, which was convenient and it meant it wouldn't take too many paint layers to change the colour. Also, they'd decided to leave one wall unpainted as an accent compared to the rest, which was another time-saver for them. On the opposite wall to the door was a large white-rimmed window, looking out into the neatly kept garden behind the house. Even with the dust sheet on the floor, to absorb paint spillages, one could already visualise the beautiful nursery it would become.

"Wait, where is piece number 4?" Robbie asked while he and the other two boys shuffled around the floor of the hallway outside the room. It had been decided that, to save time, the boys would start putting together some of the furniture to be put into the room after the girl's had finished painting it. Needless to say though, they were 5 minutes into it and already struggling, despite the first piece only being a simple changing unit.

"How are you already stuck?" Tori laughed from within the room where she, Cat and Jade were placing masking tape along the trim of the walls, doorframe and window.

"You lot haven't even started painting yet." Andre retorted, sticking his head through the doorway. "And it's here." He handed the 4th piece to his curly-haired friend.

"We don't want paint on the trim," Jade said, laying the final piece of tape along the bottom of the wall.

"I'm still not sure how I'm going to be much help with this painting," Tori commented, motioning to her still broken arm.

"Painting only requires one hand." Jade shrugged, pushing down the underlying guilt she felt about Tori's injury.

"You can take a break whenever you need if your arm starts to cramp up," Cat told her, her tone much more sensitive than Jade's. "Are we ready to open the first pot of paint?" She spoke up.

"Nope!" Jade yelled suddenly.

"W...what?" Tori interrupted, slightly taken aback by Jade's yelling.

"Cat knows," Jade said, raising an eyebrow at her girlfriend.

"No, I- wait, Jade no." Cat sighed. "I'm not wearing that thing." She added, crossing her arms over her chest.

"What thing?" Tori spoke up.

"Jade wants me to wear a mouth-mask when we paint." Cat sighed.

"Like a doctor's mask?" Tori asked. "Why?"

"Painting can expose you to many different chemicals. It's possible that exposure to chemical solvents during pregnancy increases your risk of having a baby with birth defects." Jade said bluntly as if she were mentally reciting words from a baby-book (which she actually was).

"But don't you dye your hair every other week?" Tori asked Cat. "Surely those fumes are the same."

"She makes me dye it with the windows and door open 'for ventilation'." Cat replied, doing air quotes as she talked.

"I just want you to be sensible is all." Jade shrugged. "What's wrong with being forward-thinking?"

"More like overbearing," Tori commented under her breath.

"What?" Jade snapped at her.

"Nothing." Tori shook her head.

"You still need to wear that mask Cat," Jade said, returning the conversation to its main point.

"Urgh, fine." Cat sighed, walking out of the room to go get it.

"I'm not overbearing," Jade said to Tori, informing the half-Latina that hse had, in fact, heard what she said. Tori went to open her mouth again, but shut it shortly after, deciding there was no use.

Once Cat returned, looking slightly disgruntled because of the thin fabric mask covering her mouth, being held to her face by elastic earloops. A part of her knew that Jade had a point about the paint chemicals, but she still thought the mask was a little over the top. "Can we start painting now?" She asked.

"Seems like we're ready now, so sure," Jade replied, picking up the first large paint pot and pouring some of it into a tray. The paint colour was light pastel pink, per Cat's request, which would also contrast well with the white furniture and accent wall. Each of the girls grabbed a paint roller and started to get to work on the three other walls. Cat focused on the lower wall, as it was all she could reach, Tori worked on the upper section, and Jade used a brush to smooth the line between the wall and ceiling, fix any parts the other two missed. All in all, it was quite a relaxing process and almost acted as a meditative exercise.

Every few minutes, they would hear the boys start to bicker between themselves in the hallway as they got stuck on another sept of the instructions, either unable to find a piece or confused by the instructions. The worst of these times was when Robbie realised he'd placed all of the drawer slide mounts in upside down and had to take them all apart again. It was at this point the group had decided to take a pizza break. By this point, the girls had painted a few coats on the walls and were now waiting for them to dry, and the boys had put together the wardrobe, changing station and half of a set of draws; so the break was well deserved.

Once the pizza had arrived, the teens all headed downstairs into the main room and literally laid/sat around the room on the couch, chairs and floor in an expanded circle. As they took bites out of the cheesy-bread, the conversations smoothly flowed from one topic to another and soon they were talking about their lives after graduating from Hollywood Arts in the oncoming months.

By now they pretty much all had their plans and were just waiting for their acceptance letters from their chosen colleges. Firstly, there were Tori and Andre who both wanted to go to UCLA to Major in 'Musicology', hoping it would be a good way to develop their abilities. On top of this, Tori wanted to Minor in 'Music Industry' and Andre was looking into a Certificate Course in 'Independent Music Production'. Robbie was taking a big step in his life after deciding he wanted to study at New York City College of Technology to put his skills of Techincal Theatre to use and Major in 'Entertainment Technology'. Beck had decided that college wasn't his plan as he wanted to become an actor, and felt that the best preparation for that came from real life experienced. So he was going to find a part-time job to keep himself busy while his agent sighed him up for auditions, hoping that one of them would lead to his big breakthrough. Like Tori and Andre, Jade was going to college, but she was hoping to Major in 'Fine Arts in Writing for Screen & Television' at USC of Cinematic Arts. She'd decided not minor in anything, as that would give her more time at home with Cat and Ellie. Speaking of Cat, although she had sent an application to FIDM to study fashion design, she knew that she wouldn't be able to go to college with no one else to look after Ellie. So, Cat had taken Jade and Tori's advice to try and pursue music by posting some covers and original songs online. Chances are, they wouldn't get much traction, but she had nothing to lose so it was worth the shot. All in all, the teens had their goals and were praying that they'd all reach them and these were just the first steps they needed to take. It was very daunting to think about their not so distant futures and leaving HA, but they were going to do great things, and leaving was something they had to do.

**A/N I am British, and because of that I don't know much about the American college system... and according to Google, Americans don't either tbh. I spent literal HOURS trying to work out which schools do the right programs at the right graduation levels and let me tell you I'm not lying when I say that I'm more confused about it now than ever before. xD**

After their pizza break, the teens returned to the nursery. After fixing any light areas in the paint and taking off the masking tape; the room was now fully painted and the future could start to be moved in along with wall decorations. Andre and Beck carried the fully-built matching wardrobe and baby-changer into the room and placed along one of the walls while the rest of the group continued to put together the reminding items. Well, Tori tried to help but her broken arm quickly became a hindrance so she ended up putting the lighter, decoration pieces in the room such as: the rug, shelve items, changing mat, stuffed animals, lamp, dolls house, bin e.g. A lot of the items had come from Cat's old bedroom including a few of her stuffed animals and cushions. Everything still looked relatively new as Cat only really used them as decor too, so it overall looked pretty nice.

By the end of the evening, the teens had somehow completed the room. Everything from the crib to glider chair to shelving was put into the room. All that was left was to fill the drawers with baby-clothes, diapers and everything else the baby would need once born, but Cat and Jade still had a few months to sort all of that out. It was totally surreal for all of them to see the nursery all set up and ready, especially for Cat. Of course, she was very much aware that she was pregnant, but it hits so much more when you see the nursery ready in front of you. She wasn't sure why, but this change definitely made her a little less scared and a little more excited. She really couldn't wait to meet her baby girl.

* * *

**A/N: As mentioned at the beginning of the chapter, here's the story about my day today:**

**So I'd just walked the mile back home from school at about 3:15 pm when I reach into my bag and realised I didn't have my house key. Not a big deal, my Mum had a day off work today and she'd gone somewhere with her boyfriend (they've been dating a while and he's actually quite a nice guy). So I decided to call her and see how long she'll be. She said they "_could wrap things up and be home in about an hour,"_. That's not too bad right, so I start to go for a walk to pass the time. I walked for a whole hour, to the edge of my town and through some farmers fields (for context, I live in a decently sized town of about 40,000 people, so I walked quite far to reach the countryside) and then I thought to call my Mum up again, to see if I should start to head home to meet her there. _"We haven't left yet," _she said. Huh? - They were about a half an hour drive away and it was about to start raining... I wanted to go home. So I did, but at this point, I called my Dad. I don't have the best relationship with my Dad but he recently moved only a few miles away from my house and he said he was just about to get home from work so I could go to his apartment. At about 5 pm, I got there. My Dad was actually quite nice and gave me some dinner and turned on the TV for me to not die from boredom. ****Anyway, at about 6:30 pm, I got a text from my Mum _"Me and [her boyfriend] are going out for a meal. I'm guessing your brother is home by now and has let you in the house." _So basically, I hadn't told her I was at my Dad's, which meant she thought I was sat on the doorstep for 3 hours, in the rain by now, and she was... okay with it? WTF! I'm only 16 (and barely 16 at that), meaning that although I don't live in a rough area, anything could have happened to me, and I'm slightly pissed off that she didn't care. **

**At 8:30 pm I left my Dad's apartment and now it's currently 9:30 pm and my Mum has only JUST gotten home, apologising to me briefly. Needless to say, I don't fully accept it, because I'm still annoyed that she didn't care about my welfare, and without walking to my Dad (which once again, she didn't know I did) I would have been completely soaked by the rain and wouldn't have had anything to eat or drink.**

**I guess the moral of this story is don't forget your house keys and also, don't go for a walk through fields without proper shoes because my feet really hurt now.**


	39. Chapter 39

A few days later, Jade and Cat were sat in the waiting room of the therapy office. It had been a bit of a walk to get there, and a hell load of convincing from Cat to Jade, but they'd successfully booked a weekly session with a therapist who seemed like a genuinely nice person. The girls had agreed to share a session, well they booked two 30 minutes sessions and just decided they'd both sit in on each other's sessions. It was the only way Jade agreed to talk to a therapist- if Cat was there with her. Cat was content either way in all honesty. She'd been to a therapist before, one to sort out her 'mental problems' from her younger adolescence.

At 5 pm, the girls were called into the main office as a lady stepped out to greet them. She had a kind of understated beauty, perhaps it was because she was so disarmingly unaware of her prettiness. She was an adult obviously, but so young that she still had the exuberance of youth. Her long dark hair was swept into an up-do and her make-up was well applied. Her skin had a honeyed glow and her lips were still full. And the cream suit she wore had a tailored look that was bold against her darker skin. She introduced herself as Nadia and told the girls to sit down on a couch that was at a right-angle to a single chair where she eventually sat down on.

A few minutes later, Nadia finished her introduction briefing where she and the girls exchanged general small talk to make them comfortable and gave them the run through of how the session would world. As the girls technically booked two back-to-back sessions, the first half an hour would focus on one of them while the other stays for moral support (or vice vera). Or if they had any joint discussion topics then the whole time could be shared. With Jade being too reluctant to talk, due to her general exterior, Cat volunteered to go first.

At first, Cat's session started off over discussions of the baby, and that's all Cat thought it would be about, but they quickly divulged away from it. Nadia had decided that, with Cat, it was best to start at the beginning and work her way forward towards the present. And with the problems caused by Cat's partying having a clear beginning they thought it would be the best start there.

"You can tell me as much or as little as you'd like," Nadia told her, her voice was soft and calming as she spoke. "The more the better, as it will be easier for me to help you."

"Kay kay." Cat replied curtly, perched on the couch beside Jade, leaning into her girlfriend's side. She felt slightly nervous as she thought about the beginning. A lot of the things she was about to say, Jade didn't know about. Of course, Jade knew a lot, they'd been friends most of their lives and girlfriends for a few months now, but there was still a lot Cat kept from her. "Well, I guess it really started when I joined Hollywood Arts... I was so excited to go to there, it had been my dream ever since I found out about it. And finally being a Freshman there was amazing. I was finally at a place that would let me show my talents and would teach me how to expand them, and above it all, I was with Jade. We'd gone to school together our whole lives, and I was so happy she came with me." She spoke aloud, squeezing her hand around Jades, before reminding herself to get back to her point. "Being somewhere that let me be free was great. But I kinda took it too far.." She dropped her head, looking at the ground as she spoke. "Not like _that_." She added. "We aren't at that point yet."

She paused briefly to take a deep breath while Jade gave her a reassuring hand squeeze back. "You can do this." She whispered to Cat.

Nodding back, Cat continued. "I went really over-the-top emotionally, I was just too happy to not show it constantly. But, I guess it annoyed a lot of people... I found myself with no friends after the first month. Even Jade and I didn't hang out much. I don't blame her of course. She found Beck, they were happy together. Looking back, I'm surprised you talked to me at all, I was really annoying." Cat joked. "Anyway, I was suddenly alone, and that's when I developed Bipolar disorder. I was still happy, but the loneliness was getting to me. Of course, this just made it all worse. People thought I was insane."

As she spoke, Nadia was jotting this all down on a notebook that was rested on her knee, nodding when appropriate and not moving her focus away from Cat.

"I thought about leaving HA, but I couldn't make myself do it." Cat continued. "Then it changed one day. One day, this Junior boy came up to me and just started talking to me."

"Is this where the problem began?" Nadia asked.

"Yes, I think so." Cat replied. "Basically, he needed someone to sing a song he'd written for one of his class projects and he'd overheard my singing lesson and thought my voice would be perfect for it. I was so flattered when I found out and automatically agreed to help him the next day after school..."

* * *

_Cat POV, Flashback 1_

_"__Heya Cat." Ollie, the junior boy, said to me as I walked into the school's recording studio. "You look... different." He added. Ollie wasn't the typical type of guy you'd expect to go to a Performing Arts school. He was quite well built like he did sports outside of school, and he had quite a macho personality. It wasn't at all obvious, quite alluring in fact. He wore leather jackets constantly and had gel swept hair. Of course, this was like __kryptonite to my __14-year-old self._

_"A good different?" I asked, batting my eyelashes at him as if I didn't know what he was talking about._ _In reality, I knew exactly what he was talking about. My stupid 14-year-old mind was telling me that I needed to act more grown up around him as he was 16, so I decided then and there that I needed to. That morning I decided to put on a little more makeup than normal, wear a pair of my shortest shorts and borrow my Mom's heels. It was really dumb thinking back, but this was the first person who'd taken interest in me since I started, and I didn't want to mess it up. _

_"Well, yeah." He said. I distinctly remember him winking at me, but a part of me thinks that was my boy-crazy imagination. "Some of my mates will be joining us, to help with the song." He told me. "Is that okay?"_

_"Yeah, that sounds great," I replied, placing my bag down on one of the chairs in the room. _

_Within moments, the door opened behind me and 3 guys walked in. From walking around the school I knew that one of them was a Junior like Ollie but the other 2 were Seniors. At this moment I automatically regretted my choice in dolling myself up more. "Guys, this is Cat"." Ollie introduced me. "Cat, this is __Blaise, __Jacob, and __Elijah." He pointed to his fellow Junior and then the two Juniors. "You guys have got to hear her sing, it's wicked."_

_"I'm not that good." I blushed, feeling flattered once again. _

_"To hell with that, you're great!" He replied, smiling at me. The more he talked me up, the more confidence I gained._

* * *

No POV

"Long story short, 3 hours later we'd recorded all the vocals. And in that time my confidence grew and grew. I constantly kept in mind the way I was 'meant to be acting' and the 5 of us had bonded quite well. So, with it being about 6 pm at that point, they invited me out to Nozu with me. It was really fun. We stayed there for like 3 hours. While we were eating Blaise told me he could do with me singing on his song as well, so we planned to repeat the same thing the next day. They all seemed like nice guys. In hindsight I was wrong... but I was just too innocent to see that their smiles and flirts had deeper intentions than I could see. I got yelled at so much by my parents when I got home for being out so late, but of course that only made me want to see them again that much more." Cat summarised. The memories that had once been so cherished by her now scarred her. "I got grounded for a week after I went out the second night. But the guys had invited me to an on-coming party the next Saturday, so I snuck out." She added. The whole time she spoke Jade and Nadia were hanging onto every word. Jade knew this part of the story from when it was happening. At this point, they did still speak but communication was disjointed due to their drifting apart, so there were some details that Jade had yet to learn.

"This party," Nadia started, "what was it like?"

"I can't remember too well," Cat admitted. "It was just me, them and a few of their friends in a large garden. I don't think much happened. There were about 10 guys and 5 girls I think, and they were all Junior and Senior ages but I don't think they all went to Hollywood Arts. There was no drinking or anything, just a bunch of teenagers hanging out with each other for a few hours. Not much of a 'party' but my 14-year-old self felt like it was. After this, I started hanging out with Ollie and Blaise around the school, and with some of their other Junior friends too. Jacob and Elijah would stop by sometimes along with their Senior friends. It turned out they were a part of this massive group that spread out across the local Highschools. And it wasn't long before I'd become a part of this too. It was around 2 weeks after I started hanging out with them that guys told me one of the guys in the ground from Sherwood was throwing a 'proper' party the next weekend. I naively thought that that was a proper party, and I'd enjoyed the thrill of sneaking out, so when they invited me out, I went with them. That's when I learnt what a 'proper' party was. Basically, it was a house party."

"Then what happened?" Nadia asked, pushing Cat to continue. All of this information was giving Nadia a really good idea as to how to help Cat, and she could see Cat already relaxing in front of her as she spoke. Some people need a lot of time to get out what they need to say before it can help them, but Cat seemed to be doing just fine on her own.

"I went to the party," Cat replied curtly. "And I suddenly realised what I'd gotten myself into. And the stupid part was... I liked it."

"What was it like?" Nadia asked, repeating a similar question. The term 'party' was too broad for her liking, she needed Cat to tell her more.

"No one there was remotely my age, they all had to be 16 and above and I'm sure there were a few college students there too. From the moment I opened the door and walked in with Ollie and Blaise, the whole atmosphere hit me like a truck. The music was so loud that it made my skin tingle and my lungs feel like mush. The bass thumped in time with my heartbeat as though they were one, filling me from head to toe with music. I like music and I liked the song, so I was happy with that. Over the roar of music, a distant, hazy chatter could be heard. I couldn't make out any words, but laughter rang in my ears and wouldn't seem to stop. The song that was playing got louder, pulling me in and wouldn't let go. I had no choice but to join the crowd, where everyone was jumping about and dancing to the strong beat. I remember thinking my parents were going to go crazy if they found out where I was. I'd lied and told them I was at Jade's for a sleepover, we'd always had sleepovers in the past so they didn't question it. The feeling of rebellion was like adrenaline and it was fun, at least I thought it was fun. I started to question that as soon as a cup of drink was put in my hand."

* * *

_Flashback 2_

_"Thanks." I smiled at Blaise, thanking him. "Is this coke?" I asked, looking into the cup._

_"Drink and find out," Blaise replied, smirking._

_I thought he was joking around at it was obviously coke. Well, it had to be. It looked like coke. Though as soon as I took a sip I realised otherwise. "Ewww!" I spluttered, forcing myself to swallow the bitter taste in my mouth. "That wasn't coke."_

_"Yes, it was," Blaise replied. "It just had rum in it." He shrugged._

_"I'm not meant to drink." I shook my head, handing the drink back to him. "I've still got 7 more years until I'm 21."_

_"And I have 5." He shrugged, handing it back to me. "You're at a house party. Everyone drinks."_

_"Oh, okay." I nodded. If everyone else did it, then I should have been too. I took a tiny sip. It wasn't that bad in a small amount._

* * *

No POV

"I really shouldn't have started drinking. Because then I didn't finish until I drank the whole cup. I was 14 and barely 5ft tall, I was obviously going to be a lightweight. The drink loosened me up completely and it gave me such a buzz. Of course, when I came home drunk my parents knew straight away where I'd been and grounded me for a month. That obviously didn't do anything. Then they took my phone and I just brought another one, paying the bill with my savings." Cat paused briefly as she began to conclude the reflection on her past. "Nothing they did would stop me and I'd just keep sneaking out. The peer-pressure got to me and drinking wasn't the only thing I was told to start doing because 'everyone else does'. As I went to more parties, I met more people, who invited me to more parties and it just became a vicious cycle. I was just such a stupid kid." Cat sighed.

"You were misguided," Nadia told her, interrupting. "You were alone and had no idea what to do. Those boys gave you a path to go down and you followed them without knowing if it was the right one or not. Anyone in the same position would have done what you did."

"I'm really sorry," Jade whispered suddenly. She'd been completely silent through the whole of Cat's story. "I could have stopped this. If I didn't stop talking to you, I-"

"It's okay Jade," Cat told her. "It isn't your fault."

"And it isn't yours either Cat," Nadia told her. "There is no point in taking or allocating blame for something that has already happened."

"That's a good way to look at it," Cat replied, smiling weakly.

"It is." Nadia nodded.

* * *

After Cat talked a little more, her half an hour was over. She'd said so much about her past and, no matter how emotional it was, she truly felt better after talking about it, like a massive weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Not only had she finally got it off of her chest, but she'd also now told Jade about it all, which is something he had worried about doing. She would've been lying if she wasn't worried about how Jade would react, and she was happy with how well it went, especially about how respectful and supportive she had been.

As Jade's half of the session began, she was much more reluctant to talk then Cat was. But though quite a bit of persuasion, she did open up. She mainly talked about her past too, but a lot of the session was also used to discuss her more recent issues caused by the car crash and the mental effects it had had on her. Her session with Nadia was much more two-sided, whereas Cat's was mainly her just going through a play-by-play of her past. Everyone has a different approach and response to therapy and each is completely valid. Either way, when the hour was up, the two girls left in higher spirits than they came, rather looking forward to continuing the talk the following week.


	40. Chapter 40

Before they knew it, a few weeks had passed and it was now February, meaning Cat was now 6 months pregnant, and quite obviously. At this point, the hoodies weren't really covering her bump anymore and rumours are spreading quickly around the school. In all honesty, people had been suspicious for quite a while but no one was brave enough to speak up about it, and besides, they knew Cat was dating Jade so they thought she couldn't get pregnant, but now there was no denying it. That didn't stop Cat from trying though. She resorted to any way possible way to cover the bump, from permanently hold a bag over her front to wearing an extremely thick puffer jacket. Of course, this just hindered her more than helped because all it did was bring more attention to her and practically clarify the rumours (and the coat just made her overheat).

There was a slight positive from the two weeks though, as they had both made progression within their therapy sessions, including how the therapist somehow managing to convince Jade to finally go in a car. The first drive was only for 5 minutes before Jade was shaking too much to keep going, but later in the day she forced herself to go out again and this time the ride was much longer and more successful. That was definitely a major step in the right direction for Jade, and she was seemingly okay as long as she wasn't the one behind the wheel. Still, it took a few drives for Jade to feel fully comfortable, but it was still a huge improvement or 'a relief for my feet' as Cat said, pleased that she no longer had to walk everywhere.

Cat's sessions, on the other hand, focused more around her and the baby now. The therapist addressed Cat's aforementioned insecurities about people seeing the bump and they were working towards making Cat feel more comfortable for the day people at school found out. Like Jade, the therapy was definitely helping her, but there was still an underlying nag of worry over people's reactions. It wasn't really the reactions of people at school... she was scared that her old friend group would find out about the baby... and maybe they would threaten her. You see, she was at one of their parties when she got pregnant, meaning the father knew them, and she didn't want him, whoever he was, to know about the baby. She hadn't talked to any of that group since they crashed her house, and Cat wished for it to stay that way, but she knew that if word got around about the baby, they would surely find out and maybe even track her down. These thoughts had been ricocheting around her head since the rumours at school grew, and because of it, she'd been trying to act as invisible as possible by keeping her head down and avoiding anyone but her close friends. Even at lunch, she had asked her friends to sit with her at one of the tables in the corner of the Asphalt Cafe, opposed to their regular one in the centre with a great view of the stage. Sitting in the corner meant it was harder to see them, and fewer people could judge, which was exactly what Cat wanted.

"Why're you all the way over here?" Tori asked as she and Andre joined the others at the new table. As it was only a month after the crash, Tori's arm was still broken, though very much on the mend by now.

"Yeah- it was weird seeing a bunch of Freshmen at our table, pointing to this one saying you'd 'swapped'," Andre added.

"I didn't want people to watch me eat," Cat mumbled, pushing her salad around with her fork.

"You aren't eating." Jade pressed. "You're just staring at your food."

"I'm not hungry," Cat sighed, flipping the lid of her salad over onto it.

"Is this about the rumours?" Tori asked.

"They're hardly rumours if they're true," Rex spoke up. He'd been very absent from their discussion recently, as Robbie had been bringing him in less and less. Today, however, Robbie thought Rex 'had been missing too many lessons' so he dragged him in, resulting in a very sour Rex, despite him BEING A PUPPET WITH NO EMOTIONS.

"I prefer it when you don't bring that thing to eat with us," Jade growled at him.

"I'm just saying it as it is," Rex replied curtly.

"Robbie, I will personally shove that puppet so far up your-" Jade started.

"He's going in the bag." Robbie quickly cut her off, shoving the puppet into his backpack, making some disgruntled noises in Rex's voice as he did so.

"You can't let these rumours affect you Lil' Red," Andre spoke up, turning the conversation back to its original focus.

"A part of me just wants to tell everyone-" Cat sighed. "But I just can't bring myself to do it."

"It's totally your choice," Beck spoke up. "We'll support you either way."

"Thanks." Cat smiled at him weakly.

"Now, how about you eat something?" He encouraged.

"Hey, being overprotective and pushy is my job." Jade interrupted. "Cat, eat something."

"I seriously can't, Ellie's literally doing cartwheels in there." She said, looking downwards.

"Really?" Jade asked, reaching along to place her hand on Cat's belly.

"Not now." Cat hissed, pushing away Jade's hand and frantically looking around.

"Oh come on, no one can see us." Jade reminded her.

"Fine," Cat said, leaning back slightly so that Jade could put her hand on the bump. Jade really liked feeling Ellie move around, and boy was she moving a lot this time. She could literally feel Ellie pushing her body around against Cat's skin, even through the thick jumper covering it.

"That's a lot of movement," Jade said in awe. "Is that the most she's moved?"

"Definitely." Cat replied. "But if she's anything like me, she's going to be moving at every chance she gets." She joked, referring to her hyper personality.

"At least we've got until she starts crawling," Jade said back, reluctantly moving her hand back away from Cat as she remembered where they were.

By now, the rest of the gang were used to Jade and Cat's impromptu hard-core couple moments, so while this was happening, they'd focused on their own conversation. When Cat and Jade rejoined Tori and Robbie were trying to agree on a place to celebrate their upcoming 18th birthdays. Due to them being only a few days apart, they decided that they would organise something together, but their opposing personalities meant it was hard to find a place to satisfy both of them. "I'm older so my saying goes." Tori pouted as she adamantly dismissed Robbie's idea.

"By only 6 days!" Robbie grumbled. "How is that fair?"

"It's not." Andre cut in. "She uses it against me all the time."

"That's 'cause you're birthday is in April, you're practically a baby." Tori chuckled to him.

"April is 2 months after February, if I'm a baby then so are you." Andre shot back.

"You're all young to me." Beck chuckled, bosting how he was the oldest in the group, his 18th birthday being the previous September.

"And I'm the youngest..." Cat sighed. "Phooey."

"You'll catch up." Jade joked.

"Yaayy- wait, no I won't." Cat pouted. Although she had definitely grown and matured since her more naive and gullible phase, she still had her moments. "That's not how age works Jade."

"Oh I know," Jade smirked to herself, proud of her trickery.

"Anyway-" Tori started again, turning to Robbie. "I still think we should go to Disneyland Park!"

"And how would Cat go on the roller coasters?" Jade cut in, talking in a hushed tone so that no one else could overhear. "Or you, with your arm still in a cast?"

"There's more to do at Disney than just roller coasters." Tori reminded. "And I think my arm will be out of this cast before then." She added.

"I'm alright with waiting while you ride them," Cat added.

"See," Tori said to Robbie. "They like the idea."

"I'll think about it." Robbie sighed. "But Disneyland? For an 18th Birthday?"

"What about a different theme park?" Tori asked. "Like-"

"Hey." A new voice joined the conversation, interrupting Tori. The group of teens looked towards the voice to be greeted by another group of teens, specifically a group of 4 Junior boys, one particularly lanky boy stood at the front, looking like he'd grown too much too soon. None of them were very memorable in their appearance, just your stereotypical 16-17-year-old boys, for the most part, they were too skinny to be full grown, their muscles too stretched over their recently enlarged skeletons. They moved like guys gaining a sense of surety in themselves, each brandishing a slightly down-scaled Cheshire-cat grin.

"Can we help you?" Jade spoke up, turning fully around on the bench to face the boys who had gathered behind her and Cat's side of the table.

"Yes, we were hoping to ask you all something." The tallest boy at the front began, pulling a notebook out of his pocket. The cover represented something very similar to the Mean Girl's Burn Book, which was not something any of them would have expected to come from the pocket of a somewhat macho-looking man.

"Wait a minute." Beck interrupted. "Isn't that the notebook for TheSlap gossip page?" He said, raising an eyebrow. Since Robbie's 'Robbarazzi' TheSlap page was ended, a group of girls in the year below decided to set up a slightly more anonymous page, revealing the secrets of any school-wide gossip. Fittingly, their theme was 'Mean Girls' and anyone involved with the page carried around a little Burn Book to write anything they wanted to add to the page.

"Oh, this?" The boy asked, faxing ignorance. "No, this is just my girlfriend's."

"Who, I'm pretty sure is the runner of that page." Jade butted in, standing up to lock eyes with the boy. The three others behind him went to step forward to back up their friend, but one look at Jade's cold, hard expression sent them back again. "Whatever information you want, you aren't getting it from us."

"That's debatable." The boy said, slightly raising his voice to gain the attention of those on tables around them. "Cat, you got anything to comment?" He asked, the corners of his lips fighting a smirk, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"N...no." Cat squeaked, never one for confrontation.

"I think it's about time you brats leave," Jade said darkly, taking a step towards them defensively.

"Why should we?" The boy asked, at which point his friends seemed to pick up enough courage to actually look like they were supporting him. "Who's going to make us?"

"We will," Beck growled, standing from his seat and walking behind Jade. Within seconds, Jade, Beck, Tori, Andre and even Robbie were stood behind Jade, all of them physically there to keep these guys away from Cat (who at this point was still sat on the table, trying to make herself as unnoticeable as possible to avoid the various onlookers).

"Fine, let's go." The Junoir said, taking a step back. From afar it looked like he'd been defeated, but he still somehow continued to wear a smirk upon his smug little face, as he and his pals turned, taking a few steps away.

The rest of the teens were unsure as to why he was still so pompous until they turned around back to the table where Cat was, noticing that one of the original 4 Juniors was now stood behind her, ice-water cup in hand, holding it over the red-head. "Aah!" Cat squeaked as the cold beverage ran down her neck and back completely soaking her hoodie, jumping up from her seat and roughly shoving the boy away.

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Jade yelled as she and the others rushed towards the boy, who just broke off into a sprint in the other direction.

"What's the big deal?" The original lanky boy spoke up. "Surely she can just take her hoodie off."

And then the penny dropped. That was the true reason for their unwanted visit. They wanted Cat to take off her hoodie to reveal the baby bump, and then his girlfriend could talk about it on her TheSlap page. Jade and the rest of the friend group were already furious, but now they were utterly engulfed with rage. Though, as anything to do with emotions, some are better at controlling it than others. As Tori, Beck, Andre and Robbie rushed over to help Cat, who was now shaking at the iced drink continued to stick to her back, Jade pressed forward to get revenge on the Junior boys. You could practically see the flames roaring in her eyes, ready to ignite anything that she came in contact with. It was like all she could see was red. Everything was just red. Her vision blurred as a flame curled in the pit of her stomach. Her brain went on overdrive as she continued to walk forward, the boys slowly backing away. The flames in her stomach rose up to her chest and crawling through her veins, took over the rest of her body. Her fingers coiled into fists. The term 'anger', barely even touched the tip of the volcanic-levels of rage that were bubbling and brewing inside her at that moment.

It was at this point the remaining Junior boys knew that they just needed to run, so they did. Just as Jade was about to run off after them, Beck spun around and taking her closed fist in his hand. After previously dating her, he knew exactly how to calm Jade down. "Jade." He whispered, slowly turning her to face him. "Jade, it's not worth it."

"Let me go," Jade growled, trying to get her hand out of Beck's grasp to go chase after the boys.

"Cat needs you more," Beck replied, again in that clear quite a tone that sent the words straight through her ears and into her logical thoughts.

It was as if Cat's name brought Jade back to reality, and suddenly the burning fire behind her eyes cooled, bringing back their natural icy-blue. She spun her body around, locking eyes with her girlfriend, who was still stood in shock, her body shaking from the cold. No matter how much Jade wanted to go and run after those boys, she suddenly realised that Cat needed her so much more. Rushing forward, she wrapped her arm about Cat's shoulders, guiding her away from the prying eyes of onlookers. She needed to get her out of that hoodie but she wouldn't do it outside.

As they made their way into the school, Jade guided Cat towards the closest set of toilets quickly yelling for anyone inside to get out. As soon as the last Freshman girl scurried out, Jade pulled Cat's hoodie off of her, allowing the remainder of the ice to come off with it. Instantly, Cat felt relief and was suddenly able to find her voice again. "W...what are we going to do?" Cat whimpered, looking at her reflection in one of the mirrors. She had only been wearing a bra and tight shirt under her hoodie, which had no help in hiding her baby bump, and now that her hoodie was soaked she feared that she would have to leave the toilets without it.

"Take mine," Jade said, pulling off her own thick black hoodie. Despite it barely being cold enough for a fleece that thick, she'd recently been adopting the style to comfort Cat and let her stand out less.

"B...but you're only wearing a vest too," Cat mumbled, nodding to Jade's tight, low-cut lace-trim black vest.

"I've got a leather jacket in my locker, plus I look fine." Jade shrugged, shoving her hoodie into Cat's arms. "Just take it."

"Thank you." Cat smiled weakly, pulling the large hoodie over her head. Luckily for her, Jade's taller frame meant that the hoodie was still over-sized on her, meaning it was still covering her bump. "And you look better than 'fine'." She winked.

"I knew you'd like it." Jade smirked 'adjusting' the vest to push it up. "But this isn't the time." She shook her head. "I'm so sorry about what those douche-bags did to you."

"It's not your fault at all." Cat shook her head. "And they didn't get what they wanted, so no harm was done."

"You're too forgiving for your own good." Jade sighed.

"One of us needs to be levelheaded." Cat shrugged, "And I'm sure they'll get their karma at some point."

"And if they don't, I'll push fate in our favour and do it myself," Jade said, clicking her knuckles.

"I don't doubt that." Cat replied. "Come on, let's go back outside."

"You sure?" Jade asked.

"Yeah." Cat nodded her head. "We can't let them win."


	41. Chapter 41

After the dramatic events of the lunchtime, the whole group was left in a state of utter confusion. They questioned whether the Juniors honestly believed Cat would remove her hoodie in front of the whole school of onlookers to reveal her 'secret' for them. Either they were really that stupid, or there was another layer of their plan that they had missed. Jade presumed that they were going to do something else, but bailed when she was about to attack them. However, that thought was disproven the next morning when they arrived at school...

As Jade and Cat walked into school together, they planned to meet the rest of their friends by Tori's locker like they did every morning, but as they opened the main entrance doors something else caught their eyes. And, as it seemed, they caught everyone else's eyes. They'd barely taken one step through the main door before the hallway filled with students were suddenly staring straight back at them. "W...what did we do?" Cat whispered to Jade, her hand shooting out to take her girlfriend's, unable to stop the sudden panic rushing through her.

"I don't know," Jade whispered back. "But that might tell us." She nodded towards the huge group of students huddled around a section of lockers who were laughing between themselves as they looked at Jade and Cat.

"S...should we go over there?" Cat asked.

"Yes," Jade replied boldly, squeezing Cat's hand in her own. In an attempt to look calm and composed, Jade ignored the hallway filled with silently staring onlookers and pulled Cat along to the crowd of students huddled beside the locker. "MOVE!" Jade boomed, and as if by command, the crowd parted like the sea, revealing their point of interest.

Cat's locker.

"Oh my God." Cat squeaked, unable to stop her whole body tensing.

The crowd around them continued to part, stepping back far enough to allow the rest of the hallway access, but not too far to miss it themselves. At this point, everyone could see what Jade and Cat saw, and there was an apparent mixture of gasps, snapping phone-cameras and mutters of disapproval over whoever had done such a thing. To Cat and Jade, everyone else may as well have been a million miles away while they looked at Cat's locker in a mixture of anger and shock, unable to fully comprehend it.

Cat's locker, once covered in a layer of bright pink paint with a single plastic rose on it, was now ruined. The rose, that had once been a sentiment to her, something that was a symbol of her florescent personality, was now decapitated and laid on the floor. Across the slick pink paint, someone had now scribbled the word 'WHORE' in thick sharpie. And as if that wasn't bad enough, below it was two pictures: one of Jade's hand rested upon Cat's covered baby-bump the previous lunchtime, and the other of Cat changing in the toilets, stood without any cover but a vest. As soon as her eyes registered what they were looking at, Jade lunged forward and ripped the pictures off of the metal, violently tearing them to shreds until they were completely indecipherable... But it was too late as everyone else had already seen them.

Beside her, Cat was shaking like a leaf. There was a distance in her eyes as she took a few steps backwards. Her voice came out thin and distant, "What, but, no, how did they, that's... but... no..." She was breathing all wrong, beginning to gasp like there wasn't enough oxygen in the air. The thoughts were accelerating inside her head. The room spun and she blinked back the on-coming tears trying to make everything slow to something her brain and body could cope with. By now, Jade was screaming profanities and threats at anyone who would listen, daring those responsible to come forward. Cat felt so sick. She wanted to run away but didn't know how or where to. She didn't know where to go, what to do. They knew. They all knew. The baby. They knew... darkness... creeping darkness... Cat stumbled back and Andre was suddenly there to catch her, wrapping his arm over her shoulders and guiding her out of the hallway. In the distance, she could see Beck calming her down while the crowd around them was being disbanded by teachers. All Cat could think of was that they all knew... her secret was out... the darkness returned... Andre opened the door... her vision was spinning...darkness... she was outside... she stumbled again and Andre tightened his hold on her... darkness... Andre sat her down on a bench, trying to talk to her, his words bouncing off her like they were hard rain. Cat was still quivering, not in control of her mind or body as Andre tried to lay her down... the movement too much... darkness... and nothing else.

* * *

Jade POV

I'll kill them. I swear to God; I'll kill them. I know it was those Juniors who did this, their stunt yesterday was a trick and we fell for it. They had someone camped out in the toilets to take a picture of Cat, that was their plan and we fell for it. I should have checked the room better, rather than just yelling at everyone to get out. And now look at what has happened. I should have checked, I'm such an idiot.

Not only did I mess up there, but I also flipped out when I found out about it. I just started screaming and yelling, completely missing Cat's reaction. She borderline stopped breathing and I didn't notice. Beck and Andre had to step in to help instead. I should have been helping instead of screaming bloody murder... it took Beck a few minutes to calm me, that's how far gone I was.. and by then Cat was laying outside, unconscious. Of course, I ran outside as soon as I found out... but I should have been there sooner. She's awake now at least and we're sat outside still... but I should have been here sooner.

She'd been awake about 15 minutes but she's still shaking, I can feel it as her body is leant against mine. We're meant to be in class but we refuse to move. Tori, Beck, Andre and Robbie are here too, we're all sat in a circle on the floor of the cafe in silence. No one want's to talk, no one knows what to say if they did. We're devastated for Cat. We knew people would find out, but not like this, never like this. Those jerks not only wrote a horrible thing and completely destroyed her privacy, but they forced her to do something she didn't want to do... what is kinda how we got into this situation in the first place. Which just brings up another point, the meaning behind that word they wrote- I can't even repeat it to myself. They don't know the truth, even if Cat won't admit it, I still class her pregnancy as the result of rape. It still irks me that she defends that man, but I understand why she does it. Either way, it wasn't her fault.. but everyone now thinks it is.

I feel my body tense again as I clench my fists by my side as the anger raises through me again, pumping through my veins with each heart palpitation. As my face flushes read, I feel Cat's hand silently creep over mine, her body still leant into mine, her eyes closed as her head rests on my shoulder. The rest of the group are silently watching us, they have been ever since we came out here. I think they're waiting for us to react. Cat had a panic attack, passed out and then hasn't spoken since. I screamed loud enough for people in China to hear, and then I joined her in a state of muteness. We're just silent now.

* * *

More time passed and we just continued to sit in silence. I'm unsure exactly of how much time, but I'm guessing it was about half an hour.

"Kids?" A voice called out, Lane. He had just walked out of the school building and called out for us without really looking around for us. "There you are!" I heard him announce as he started walking towards us. I don't know why it took him this long to find us, he was there when I was having my yelling fit, calming the crowd around me, but I guess he was focused on Cat's locker first. "You should all be in the lessons right now." He said as he reached us.

From our small circle, we all merely looked up at him and wordlessly nodded. Yet none of us moved. Tori, Andre, Robbie and Beck were just looking at us, waiting for the cue whether to move or not. I don't care how sappy it is to admit this, but it was nice to see how much they cared, not wanting to leave us. It was more for Cat obviously, she was the most affected by this, but I wouldn't move until she did, and the others wouldn't move until we both did.

"Is anyone listening?" He asked, and once again there was no response from anyone. "Cat, Jade I need to speak to the both of you. Please?" He asked.

I felt a slight movement from beside me. I turned my head to see that Cat had finally opened her eyes, they were bloodshot red- like she'd somehow been crying behind her eyelids. I smiled weakly at her and he smiled back, her grasp tightening on my hand. Wordlessly, a whole conversation was exchanged between us. "Can the others come with us?" I spoke, my voice was hoarse from the previous yelling- something I only just noticed after having to try and use it again.

Lane looked slightly confused but nodded in agreement. Once again, we silently looked between us in the circle, but this time Cat actually stood up beside me. Moments later, the rest of us joined her. We walked towards the school together as a clear group, Cat and I hand-in-hand at the front with the others trailing behind like her bodyguards. We were all there to protect her, to support her. That's what friends are for.

As we walked through the hallway, we couldn't help but lay our eyes on what started it all to begin with. The remnants of the ripped-up photos still laid on the floor, along with the black-sharpie word on the locker front. I felt the bile rise in my throat as I looked at it, but a light tug from Cat's soft hand pulled my eyes away. No one spoke until we reached our destination- Lane's office. When the door opened, Lane asked the others to sit in chairs outside, which Cat and I wordlessly agreed with while we alone walked in.

The room before us was in a state of half-organized clutter. In the office's centre was a single wooden desk, several stacks of paperwork haphazardly thrown across it, accompanying a knocked over pen-tin beside a mac book pro. It had seemingly been a busy morning for Lane, but then again I had never been in his office before so for all I knew it was always that messy. Behind the desk were: a single levelled bookshelf, books leaning against one another different directions, many looking as if they'd been there quite a while; a filing cabinet with paper work stacked on top; and a water dispenser with no cups. **(A/N, I understand that Lane's office has been shown in episodes such as 'The Wood' and 'Who Did It To Trina?' and it looked nothing like this description. However, I felt like this scene needed to be more serious, so I mixed up the setting a little.)**

"Please sit," Lane told Cat and me, motioning to two chairs in front of us, he himself sitting in the single swirly-seat on the opposite side of the desk. "I'm sure you know why you're here?" He asked. His tone was very calm and collected, but I couldn't help but feel the atmosphere of tension had suddenly become so severe and pervasive in the room. It didn't seem like he had any intentions to tell us off, but just the whole situation of sitting in his office to discuss the past events was already becoming a task to dread, and I could practically hear the same thoughts running through Cat's mind beside me.

"How could we not?" I mumbled under my breath. With Cat refusing to open her mouth for the past almost hour- I knew one of us would have needed to say something.

Realising that that was the only response he would get, Lane continued. "After reviewing the security footage, I'm glad to tell you that neither of you are in trouble for this, though you do have Beck to thank for that. If he hadn't stopped your rampage you probably-"

"Wait." I interrupted, unable to comprehend what I was hearing. "You're telling there was a chance I would have gotten in trouble for this? What about the douches that started this?!"

"Those students are currently in Principle Helen's office and she is dealing out their punishments," Lane replied calmly.

"Am what will they get for this?" I said, my temper still slightly raised.

"This is all being taken very seriously." Lane began. "As far as I know, they are being given consequences for vandalism, sharing photos without permission and taking the photo of Cat while she was changing. Personally, I believe they will each get at least a temporary expulsion from Hollywood Arts."

"Good." I heard a quiet voice come from beside me. I couldn't be 100 percent sure that it came from Cat, because her mouth was now shut again, but I'm positive it was.

"So is that all you wanted from us?" I asked, hoping - no praying, that it was. In reality, I knew that he definitely had more to say, but I knew Cat wasn't ready to answer his questions and I just wanted to get her out of there.

"Not exactly." Lane said. As if as an instinct to lighten the conversational topic, Lane pulled his signature hand lotion out of his pocket, offering some to us. Normally this oddity would work in defusing things, but once we both declined, the mood just soured more.

"Y...you want... you want to know about the rumours." Cat stuttered. Once again, her voice was barely loud enough to hear, but I knew that she was desperately trying to force the words out.

"Yes. As your school counsellor, it is my job to know how I can help and support the students in my care." Lane started. Never in my life had I seen him act so professionally. "But also as your counsellor, I am not allowed to presume things..." His voice trailed as he waited for Cat's response.

Cat looked up at me desperately and I took her hand in mine, slowly rubbing my thumb over the back of her hand. This seemed to give her the courage she needed. "Ye..yes. I am pregnant."

"Well then, congratulations are in order Cat." He gave her a comforting smile.

"Thank you." Cat smiled back, slowly calming herself down. I could see her relax automatically, it was as if she were scared that Lane's response would be negative, personally, I didn't think it mattered, but then again I don't care what anyone thinks.

"If you don't mind me asking, how far along are you?" He said slowly; he could see she was delicate and was careful in his approach.

"6 months," Cat replied curtly. "She's due at the beginning of May."

Lane was seemingly quite surprised about this and how far she'd progressed without his or anyone else's knowledge, but he was trying hard to cover it. He quickly turned to his laptop and began to type something up. "I'm just making you a hallway pass, allowing you to leave lessons whenever you need." He explained. "I can't imagine how you've been here without toilet breaks."

"It's been... uncomfortable." Cat sighed. "And thank you."

"Now, I am going to have to inform your other teachers about this too." Lane continued as he typed. "Not only because of this pass, but also because you may go into early labour and they would need some pre-warning."

"We're hoping that doesn't happen." I interrupt.

"I wouldn't wish that on anyone," Lane replied quickly. "It is just a precaution."

"I understand." Cat nodded curtly.

"If I remember correctly your parents currently live in Idaho-" Lane began again. "-do they know of your situation? And are you in a stable condition to look after your baby at home without them? That is if you are planning on keeping the baby of course."

"I am keeping her," Cat said quickly, thought the next part was slower and slightly more slurred. "But...I recently moved in with Jade, and we've already set up a nursery and everything." The way she avoided the question about her parents was very smooth. Telling Lane the truth about her disassociation from them would only raise more questions. "She's been so great to me ever since I told her." She smiled at me, and I couldn't help but smile back.

"You two seem very prepared for this than girls." Lane smiled at the two of us. "So once again, congratulations are in order, to both of you."

"Thank you." We replied simultaneously.

"I have one more thing to add before you two can leave," Lane told us. "You mentioned that the baby will be due in May."

"Yes, around the 1st," Cat said. "Why?"

"As you know, all final projects are conducted through April, so you should be able to complete all of them before the baby is born. However, final written exams are during the 3rd and 4th weeks of May. I'm willing to allow the both of you to stop attending lessons on the day of the birth, before that if Cat is put on bed rest, but you will need to come in for your exams." Lane explained to us.** (A/N I'm trying really hard to work out how American school tests work... and I've honestly given up, so I'm going to relate it more to the British way of grading. Therefore, in this story, there will be 2 weeks of exams that, along with some coursework grades, will determine their final grade for each subject.)**

"We've already sorted that," I said calmly. We knew this was coming, and Cat and I already had a sort of idea of what to do. "My dad said he would fly back to LA to help us out for those weeks," I told Lane. I was generally quite surprised when my dad had agreed to our plans about this, he was very excited actually. He's always looking for an excuse to see me, but it's impossible to get away from his work and fiance, so normally I'd fly out to see him. But the baby gave him a genuine reason to leave Europe that he could tell his clients, an allowing him a brief escape from his hectic work. He promised me that he would leave his fiance behind, but a part of me is worried that she's going to force her way along too. Man, I hate that Gold Digger, she makes my Dad happy I guess, but I still hate her.

"That sounds perfect." Lane said, clapping his hands together. "Both of your grades are high enough that even with a short time off you'll be just fine to take the exams. However, Cat we are still hoping for that C grade in Maths, English and Science aren't we?" He asked.

"I'm trying." Cat sighed, looking briefly down at her feet.

"I can see that from your improvement over the last few years." Lane smiled. "Your last exam in English and Science were only a few marks away were they not?" He asked.

"I guess." Cat shrugged. "My maths is still low."

"Your other grades completely outbalance it though," I add in. I knew Cat hated talking about her grades, but Lane's intentions were to remind her of her improvement, not discourage her.

"Exactly, you're an A student in the rest of your classes." Lane smiled. "And you're not far behind Jade." He nodded at me. In all fairness, he wasn't wrong. I was an A/B student in all my classes, with a 3.5 GPA. And if Cat got the Cs she wanted in Maths, English and Science (as well as her As and A-pluses in her other classes) she wouldn't have a similar GPA. "I'm sure that both of you will continue to work hard toward your final grades." He smiled lightly to us. "Even between the birth and exams that you will be revising hard, with any free time you find yourselves."

"We will," I told him. "Is that all you wanted from us?" I asked, standing up from my seat.

"Yes, I think so." Lane said, also standing up to lead us out of the door. "Once again congratulations girls."

"Thank you." We echoed as we left.

As soon as the door shut behind us, Cat and I simultaneously let out a breath we didn't realise we were holding. We'd walked in there filled with emotions- anger, worry, fear. And we'd walked out relieved and almost happy. I'd never really noticed Lane's presence around the school, but suddenly I appreciated him so much more.

I barely took one step out of the room before Cat suddenly swung around beside me, literally leaping into my arms. It was moments like then that I appreciated her being so tiny; as I somehow managed to keep myself upright as she wrapped her arms around my taller frame. This wasn't one of those hugs of gentle arms that still gives the space to breathe; this was a hug which was fueled by so much passion that it tells everything that I was - body, brain and soul - that Cat was with me. This was one of those hugs just an exchange of pure joy between me and her. Cat's arms were to tight around me that her body was practically melting into mine, and I couldn't help but wonder how she wasn't squashing her baby bump between us. I was also a moment of realisation, emphasising to me just how happy was that someone had accepted her and that things would be okay within the school. Of course, we still had to address the fact that the students knew, but things would be so much easier with support from the staff.

"So?" A voice suddenly interrupted, pulling Cat and me from our thoughts. It was at this moment that we remembered that Tori, Andre, Robbie and Beck had been sat outside of the office the whole time.

"Is it good news?" Tori asked. "It looks like good news."

"Wait, what news are we even expecting?" Robbie asked.

"...I don't know." Tori commented.

"I'm just happy." Cat smiled, reluctantly pulling away from our hug.

"Why?" Beck asked. "Not that this is a bad thing or anything-"

"Everything to do with the baby has been sorted with the school, and Lane promised that the teachers would try and support Cat and help her out," I explained briefly. "Which is what I expected, but it's nice to fully hear it."

"That is good news," Andre spoke up.

"What about the locker?" Tori asked, suddenly reminding me and Cat about the real problem at hand. "Did they work out who did it?"

"Yeah." I nodded. "The security camera caught them. Lane thinks they're going to get a temporary explosion, but it's too early to know now."

"That's good too right?" Robbie asked, looking between me and Cat, and our now suddenly sour expressions.

"Totally," Cat spoke up. "I'd just forgotten about all that..." She sighed.

"I've got an idea," I spoke up.

"Whatty?" Cat asked, looking up at me with my big brown eyes.

"How about we just go home and skip the rest of the day?" I suggested. I wasn't sure how confident she was feeling and maybe taking a day off for things to cool down would be a good idea.

"No." Cat shook her head. That was a reaction I wasn't expecting.

"Really?" I asked, unable to help myself as I raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really." She repeated. "I can't hide it... they all already know. I need to be brave." She said. Her voice was still slightly shaky as she spoke, but I could see it in her eyes that she was adamant about her decision.

"It's totally up to you," I reassured her. "You have Song-writing next lesson right?" I asked, and she nodded. "Tori, you look out for her then."

"Ma'am yes, ma'am." She joked, soluting to me.

"You two are so overprotective." Cat shook her head.

"Well, in all fairness the boys are too," Tori said.

"It's just 'cause we care about you Lil'Red." Andre reminded her.

"I wasn't complaining." Cat smiled, opening her arms up wide. "Group hug?"

We couldn't help but smile between ourselves as all 6 of us took a step closer together. There are times where I get annoyed at those idiots, but most of the time they're bearable. Who am I kidding? I love them. Yes, even Tori. For the few brief moments that our arms rested on each other's shoulders, with a giggling Cat stood in the middle, I had a sudden ache in my heart. Soon we would all be going our own ways, leaving HA behind us. I had Cat at least, she would stay with me... but I would be lying if I said I wouldn't miss the rest of them.


	42. Chapter 42

No POV

The rest of the day was surprisingly uneventful. It was as if no one had anything against Cat or even a comment about her situation. In all honesty, not even the douches who trashed her locker really did, they just wanted some gossip for their page and the vandalism was just a way to make it stick. It makes sense really; everyone at Hollywood Arts is a misfit themselves in some way. They aren't in a 'normal' school for a reason, because everyone there has a unique gift or talent. Most of the kids going there had been bullied and teased at some point for who they are, and they weren't about to pass that onto Cat. Of course, there was the odd look from a curious Freshman, but nothing apart from that. The only spreading comments were of the fate of the vandalists, and the general work of the street it was that they'd all got week expulsion and their TheSlap page was to be taken down.

On top of all this, something quite extraordinary happened as, by the end of the day, the previously sharpied word was completely disappeared from Cat's locker. It hadn't been painted over or had the door replaced, instead, other students had added new words of encouragement and support over the top of it. Simple doodles and drawing covered the bulk of the original word, and short phrases filled every other possible space. Cat was brought to near-tears of joy as she read over them. _"Congratulations." _Was the most common word written across it, along with other variants of the word._"We're with you", "Ignore the haters", "Be strong Cat", "We love you", "Smile :)" a_nd many other encouraging notes littered the pink metal, each of them bringing more joy to Cat's heart.

This reaction made Cat ecstatic and by the next day, it was as if none of the previous trauma had ever happened. She held her head up high when she walked into the school, wearing maternity clothes that she normally wore around the house. These were tighter and gave her much more support than her regular hoodies, not to mention they didn't make her overheat. This was a step that Cat had been dreading her whole pregnancy, but now that she'd done it she felt so much better. There was no judgement from anyone and she finally had the weight lifted off of her shoulders. Her secret out and it was okay; what a huge relief.

"It's so nice to wear a dress again." Cat giggled as she spun around, the hem of the dress flaring up slightly as she did so. The leggings that she'd been used to wearing were such a strain around her stomach, while the dresses made her feel free and light. Her, Jade and Tori were walking towards their lunch table to meet the boys.

"It looks good on you." Jade complemented. "Like always."

"You should wear a dress once in a while." Cat thought allowed.

"That would be funny," Tori commented, laughing to herself at the idea of Jade West casually in a dress.

"You too Tori," Cat added, pondering another thought allowed. "I could make you one in my fashion class if you'd like."

"I'm more of a jeans and shirt kinda gal," Tori replied. "Thanks though." She smiled.

"Kay kay," Cat shrugged. "Jadey?"

"Stop trying to picture me in a dress," Jade grumbled. "It's not happening."

"Phooey." Cat sighed. "You looked really pretty when you wore one at our prome. And when you sang 'You don't own me'... but that might have been a skirt." She tilted her head as she tried to recall the knowledge.

"How do you even remember that?" Jade asked. "I can't remember what I wore yesterday, let alone a year ago."

"I like fashion." Cat shrugged. "I was just admiring your style."

"Yes, my _style._" Jade jabbed, a smirk pulling at her lips. "Just my style."

"Okayy." Cat giggled, raising her arms in mock surrender. "You caught me- you did look pretty hot though." Cat winked.

"Aaaaand I'm third wheeling again," Tori spoke up as they finally reached the table, where the boys were already sat.

"At least you and Andre can do the same to counteract it," Beck spoke up.

"Don't encourage them too!" Robbie said exasperated. "Then me and you will be 5th and 6th wheeling."

"There can't be 5 and 6 wheels silly, or else the vehicle would just go in circles," Cat spoke up, sitting beside Jade on the table.

"What about on a lorry? **(A/N a semi-truck? I think it's called outside of England.)**" Andre spoke up.

"Oh right." Cat frowned to herself. "I didn't think about when all being on two sides... I just thought about the wheels being on all four."

"How does 6 divides into 4?" Robbie muttered under his breath.

"4 does go into- oh wait." Cat sighed, her frown deepening. "Oh, I hate maths."

"Let's move on from it then." Jade interrupted quicky. Recently, Cat's emotions had been all over the place, and a single bad thing could put her in a sour mood for a few hours. This meant that Jade was constantly trying to halt anything that could dampen her mood. However, pregnancy hormones never co-operate so it didn't always work. "I... um." She wracking through her thoughts to try and find a new topic.

"Your dress looks nice Cat," Beck spoke up, saving Jade from her stuttering.

"Thank you!" Cat beamed, her mind completely distracted now as she ran her hand along her dress hem. "I missed wearing them."

"Oh god." Tori sighed suddenly.

"Whattie?" Cat asked.

"Sikowitz is coming." She nodded to the poncho-wearing man, galloping towards them with a coconut in one hand and camera in the other.

"Oh great." Jade added. "He's gonna ask us to-"

"DRIVE BY ACTING CHALLENGE!" The aforementioned teacher announced, practically leaping forwards the table, his camera pushed outwards in front of him, its little red light flashing at the teens.

"All of us?" Tori asked, looking between Sikowitz and the camera.

"No, of course not. You will all take turns counting one, two, or three numbers in sequence until one of you reaches 21. Whoever is forced to say "21," has to complete an improv of my choosing." Sikowitz told them.

"So, like 21 dares?" Andre asked.

"Dares! I like that idea too!" Sikowitz announced, shoving the camera in Andre's face. "it will either be an improv or a dare."

"Arghh." The group sighed simultaneously, giving Andre a disapproving look.

"Don't be sourpusses." Sikowitz pouted.

"Fine!" Jade growled. "1,2,3." She began the count.

"4!" Cat joined.

"5, 6," Tori said.

"7, 8, 9," Andre added.

"10, 11." Said Beck.

"13, 14, 15." Robbie continued.

"16, 17." Jade continued.

"18, 19, 20!" Cat finished, smiling to herself as she wasn't the one to say the final number.

"...21." Tori sighed.

"So Toro." Sikowitz rhymed, purposely saying the wrong name. "Dare or scene?"

"Scene," Tori replied quickly.

"Dare it is!" Sikowitz announced, zooming in the camera lens at Tori's disgruntled face as she spluttered a response. "Your dare is to... jump on the table and announce something embarrassing from your childhood."

"What does this have to do with acting?" Tori asked, fighting back a blush.

"It doesn't." Sikwiotiz shrugged. "Go!"

"Argh fine." Tori sighed, pulling herself atop the table, careful not to step on anyone's lunch. "Attention everyone!" She yelled across the Asphalt cafe. Once everyone looked at her in confusion, they noticed Sikwotiz camera and immediately understood. "I have to announce that I... I um..." She wracked her brain for something embarrassing about herself. "I sucked my thumb until I was 9 years old." A few people laughed at this, before turning back to their own conversations. "Done." Tori sighed again, sitting back in her place.

"9?!" Jade hollered. "You're meant to stop at like 4! Not over double that."

"Don't mention it," Tori grumble, visibly annoyed.

"Andre!" Sikowitz announced. "Start at 1!"

"1, 2, 3." Andre followed his instructions.

"4, 5." (Beck)

"6, 7, 8." (Robbie)

"9, 10." (Jade)

"11." (Cat)

"12, 13, 14." (Tori)

"15, 16, 17" Andre

"18, 19." (Beck.)

"20." (Robbie)

"Damn it!" Jade yelled out.

"Aaha!" Tori added.

"Jade-" Sikowitz began. "I will say the name of one of your peers and follow it up with a question or prompt. It is your task to reply to the question as if they would, initiating a scene"

"That's easy." Jade shrugged nonchalantly.

"Be Beck!" Sikowitz announced, giving Jade a few second to quickly gain composure (or lack of). Within moments, she rolled her shoulders back and sat in that relaxed 'cool guy' stance, slightly slouched and relaxed; exactly the same as Beck was sat. "Beck what do you like about acting?"

"To act I become the part, not another version of myself, but truly live it as a separate person." She began, Her voice altered into her quintessential 'male' voice, a single hand flourishing as she spoke, periodically running through her hair. "It's the only way to be authentic, don't you think? I feel their emotions, work through their problems, always keeping in mind the limitations of their perspective. I ride with the character on their quest for joy and redemption, always rooting for their victory. That's how to give a sincere performance-" She continued to ramble, just as Beck would when given a topic he felt passionate about. The whole speech was without pause or stutter, truly fluidity straight from the heart as it would have been from Beck too.

"Now be Cat!" Sikwoitz announced, switching up Jade's act and interrupting her rambles. Next, he paused for a few seconds, his brain quickly trying to come up with a question. "Cat..." He repeated. "What is your favourite animal?" He asked.

"Well cats of course." Jade giggled, her voice much higher, a scarily close impression of her girlfriend.

"Well yes, that is your name," Sikowitz replied, hinting for Jade to say more.

"My full name is actually Catarina," Jade said, getting really into her role. "There isn't an animal that's called 'Catarina', but I did use to think there was. That's because my brother told me that because my name was short for it, that that's where the animal name came from too. He also told me about-"

"Now be Tori." Sikowitz cut in. Even if it was Jade acting as Cat, her rambles were still somewhat annoying. "Toro-" He started to address the question. "I've had to fail you for your last assignment."

"B...b...but-" Jade started spluttering, putting on her typical 'Southern Belle' Tori accent. "What did I do wrong?" She sounded down-right panicked. "I'll do anything to raise my grade- give me an extra credit project. Please!"

"I'm sorry but-" Sikowitz started to reply.

"I've never got anything less than a B in your class! What did I do- I." Jade continued, continuing the shocked persona.

"Very good Jade, you really got down Tori's 'teacher's pet' personality and her accent," Sikowtiz said.

"I'm not a teacher's pet," Tori spoke up.

"Yes, you are," Jade replied curtly, taking a sip of her coffee with a raised eyebrow.

"And I don't sound like that!" Tori yelled, exasperated that people still persisted about her sounding like Jade's 'Southern Belle' accent. "Do I?"

"Of course not Tori"-"Why no."-"Not at all." The whole group replied simultaneously, their voices all in that high-pitched, southern mocking accent that Jade had donned for Tori. Each of them were flicking their hair back and forth in Tori's typical flirtatious fashion while laughing between themselves.

"Arghhh!" Tori sighed, putting her head down on the table.

"We're only joking Tori!" Cat exclaimed, putting her hand on Tori's back comfortingly.

"I wasn't." Jade shrugged.


	43. Chapter 43

A few days passed, and before they knew it it was Saturday morning. Jade and act were in their normal position, Cat laying across the couch to rest her sore beck, her head rested upon Jade's lap. They were both on their phones, typing up their own short monologue for a Sikowitz homework assignment. "What's another word for speech?" Cat asked, temporarily stuck on a part of her monologue. "I can't use that word again."

"Umm... soliloquy," Jade replied.

"Thanks!" She beamed, beginning to type again before deleting the word and typing it again. "How do you spell that?"

"S-o-l-i-o-q-u-y." Jade spelt out.

"That's a lot of letters," Cat commented, typing in each one as Jade said.

"It's only 8," Jade replied curtly.

"Oh yeah!" Cat giggled, tilting her head back onto Jade's lap to look up at her properly. "You're so pretty." She smiled up at her, her eyes sparkling at her random note.

"Really? From that angle, I'd say otherwise." Jade raised an eyebrow, looking down to Cat.

"You're pretty from every angle," Cat replied, propping herself upright briefly to give Jade a quick peck on the lips.

"As are you." Jade flirted back, smiling against Cat's lips as the red-head leaned back in again.

"Oww." Cat gasped suddenly, having to pull herself properly upright.

"What's wrong?" Jade asked, looking at the pain on Cat's face.

"That was just an awkward angle, and my back's really hurting." She sighed. "Ellie's really weighing me down today."

"Stop giving your Mamma problems," Jade said in mock command, lightly resting her hand upon Cat's baby bump, which was automatically met with a sharp kick from Ellie underneath it. "You're totally going to be a troublemaker just like me." She smiled.

"Lord help me..." Cat sighed, unable to stop the smile pulling at her own lips.

"Just take it easy Kitty," Jade told Cat. "I'll look after things today."

"I'd honestly like to see you try to do the laundry and cook dinner for once." Cat retorted.

"I'll do everything but that," Jade smirked.

"How did you survive before I moved in?"

"Dry cleaning and ready-cooked meals." Jade shrugged.

"I can't-"

_"BRRRRVVV." _Cat's phone vibrated from underneath her after it had slipped out of her hand when kissing Jade.

"Who's calling?" Jade asked as Cat pulled out her phone.

"My dad..." Cat gulped, looking at the name appear on the front of the screen. She was suddenly as white as chalk. Her eyes and her mouth were frozen wide open in an expression of stunned surprise. Her parents had blocked her number after they disowned her and she hadn't talked to them since. "S...sh... should I answer it?" She asked, pulling herself upright to sit properly beside Jade.

"I... I don't know." Jade paused. "It's up to you," She added slowly as the phone continued to vibrate in Cat's hand.

Slowly, Cat raised her other hand, her fingers jumping rhythmically as if in spasm, and she pressed the answer button. "H...hello?" She chocked out, clicking the 'speaker' button so that she and Jade could hear everything aloud.

"It's about time you answered." A deep voice growled from the other side of the phone.

"I...I'm sorry." Cat squeaked. Jade's hand shot across to tightly hold Cat's, rubbing her thumb over the back of Cat's smaller delicate hand in comfort.

"I'm slightly surprised you still have phone access." Her father snarled, his voice harsh and clear as it barreled out of the phone. "I was half expecting you to be on the streets. At least that would have shown you the reasons why we were right for you to abort that baby-.

Just as Jade leant across to attempt to take the phone and end the call, a distant female voice entered the conversation- Cat's mother. "Darling-" She addressed Cat's father. "This isn't the time to discuss this."

"Fine." Cat's father sighed to her, his voice still echoing down the phone line. "I do actually have a reason to call you."

"W...what is it?" Cat mumbled, mustering up enough courage to talk again. Jade's hand was once again on Cat's, her long black-polished nail drawing soft circles of comfort on the back of Cat's palm. She was trying desperately to hold herself back, to stop the burning anger towards Cat's parents. She needed to keep herself calm for her girlfriend's sake.

"After you moved out, we sold the house-" He began, blatantly skipping the point that Cat had been forced to leave. "-and we've just received a call from the lady we sold it too. She's a lovely lady, with two young children."

"O...okay?" Cat asked, wondering why this had anything to do with her.

"Apparently, a bunch of hooligans appeared at her house last night." Her father said. "They'd driven all over her lawn and threw things at the house. When she came outside they were yelling for you."

"What? Who were they? Why would-" Cat began to stutter. Why were there people looking for her with the plan to trash her house? Who would do that? Why?

"That's why we've called you. That lady was very angry and quite scared. Luckily, those teens left as soon as they saw you didn't live there anymore, but that meant the police couldn't catch them. Seeing as this is your fault, you need to go sort all of this out. We've told the lady that you'll be going to see her and will pay for any damages." Cat's father stated a matter-of-factly.

"A few minutes ago you were surprised I had enough money to pay for a phone; how did you expect me to pay for this?" Cat gasped. Sure, she did have money... well Jade did... but still "I've still got a baby on the way-"

"So you've kept it?" Her dad cut in, an audible sigh projected down the phone. "And that's not my problem, it's your fault, Catarina, along with that baby or yours. You need to fix this because we certainly are not. And you've clearly found a job to keep you off the streets. What is it? Are you finally getting paid for whoring yourself off?" Cat visibly tensed at this, any colour left in her face was now completely gone. She felt her stomach churn and her muscles clench. That word had already caused enough harm that last week, and hearing it from her own father only made it hurt that much more.

"First of all, how dare you?" Jade interrupted, unable to hold her tongue any longer. Her tone was dark, darker than usual, a growl so deep that it was border-lining her male impression voice. "You have no right to say any of that. And why the hell don't you care that there are apparently a bunch of guys after Cat?! I would call you terrible parents, but you've already dipped that low before this." As she spat her insults, Cat was dead silent beside her, pure shock etched onto her face.

"You're still her friend Jadelyn? You shouldn't waste your time around a girl who is ruining her life, go make something of yourself and leave-" Cat's mother intervened. She'd always liked Jade for some reason, maybe it was because Jade was somewhat reserved as a child and they thought she would set Cat on the 'right path'. Oh if only they knew.

"We're very happy together actually. And I wouldn't give up dating her for the world." Jade smirked, dropping the metaphorical bomb on Cat's very religious parents who didn't know they were dating and would be far from happy about it.

"DATING? YOU'RE GAY NOW CATARINA?!" Cat's father exploded, screaming into the phone. "HOW COULD YOU? You're going to end up in Hell! And you dragged poor Jadelyn down with you?" He didn't even take a breath between statements. "You always find another way to disappoint-"

"Oh shut up you bigot." Jade interrupts, speaking for Cat who had seemingly lost her tongue. "You're only jealous 'cause your daughter's love life is better then yours will ever be. Just fuck off." And with that, she took the phone and ended the call.

There were a few moments of silence. Well, it felt like a few hours of silence, before Cat spoke up again, unwanted tears bringing her eyes. "You told them we're dating..." She mumbled, blinking rapidly.

"Yeah... I did." Jade mumbled not yet fully comprehending what she'd just said.

"They're gonna hate me... well they already hate me... they... I..." Cat stuttered.

"I'm... I'm sorry!" Jade gasped, the realisation slowly hitting her. "I shouldn't have done that. It wasn't my secret to tell, I-"

"Give me back my phone." Cat dismissed, reaching out her hand.

"You aren't going to call them back are you?" Jade asked, reluctantly handing back the device.

"No, I'm blocking their numbers. Something I should have done from the beginning." Cat said coldly, wiping away the tears to block her father's number, and then her mother's. "I never want to hear from them again. They hate me, so I may as well make the feeling mutual."

"That's the best idea you've ever had." Jade encouraged, smiling weakly at Cat.

"It needed to be done." Cat sighed, putting the phone down. "And thank you for telling them, deep down I've been wanting to for ages. I knew they would hate it and I just felt like it would be a form of revenge somehow."

"Wait, so you really don't care that I said that- I thought you were going to flip," Jade said.

"Do you want me to flip out?" Cat asked.

"No, I'm glad you haven't, I just had to stick it to them."

"You definitely did that, and with more sass than I ever could." Cat joked lightly. "But we do need to work out what the hell happened at my old house."

"What? Why should we?"

"I need to find out who those people where and why there went to my old house. Plus my parents are right, this is kinda my fault and I do need to make this right."

* * *

Half an hour later

Cat couldn't help but shake as she drove closer and closer to her childhood home- the place she hadn't been since her parents kicked her out. It was strange, being there again after so long. Despite how long she'd been away, she still remembered everything about the place; the Mediterranean styled exterior of white walls and lots of arches; to the row of flowers planted in the front yard, lined up neatly against the front wall.

But being in that place after everything that'd happened was so hard. A part of Cat wanted to go back to being the person she recalled, naive and sweet, still living there. She wanted to return to someone who thought her parents did care about her. But yet at the same time, she was also glad about her new life. These changes had lead to Ellie and had even started her and Jade's relationship, two things she wouldn't change for the world. What she really wanted was to erase the negative effects of all the suffering caused by change and heal as if it never happened.

As Cat stopped the car outside of the house, she couldn't help but gasp at the unwanted new features to the exterior. Tyre tracks ran across the once pristine front lawn and toilet paper littered the house and outside tree. It looked as if a bunch of teens had just trashed a house on Halloween- which was half true. The redhead couldn't help but gasp as she climbed out of the car- this damage was caused because of her.

With Jade close behind, Cat walked up to the door after slowly making her way up the path. She raised her hand to knock, but she stopped. She took a deep breath and forced herself to press the doorbell. She heard the "ding-dong" sound coming from inside, and someone running to get the door.

"Who is it?" A voice came out from the other side, from its pitch it was clearly a female.

"Cat Valentine," Cat replied curtly. "My parents told you I would be coming."

The sound of repeated clicking announced the unlocking of the front door, followed by it being pulled open to reveal a lady. From the first look, it was clear that she couldn't be any older than her late 20s. She was only about 5ft2, barely any taller than Cat, and had a skinny frame to match. She was casual, dressed in jeans and a simple purple t-shirt. Her face was made up, but not overdone and her long black hair was pulled back into a pony-tail. "Sorry." The lady muttered. There was a shyness to her, hesitation in her body movements and a softness in her voice. "I'm a little weary to open the door to anyone."

"I understand." Cat smiled weakly.

"Please, come in." The woman invited her in.

"This is my girlfriend Jade," Cat introduced, stepping to the side to motion to Jade behind her.

"Hi." The lady smiled meekly.

"She looks scary, but she'd really a softy," Cat added, sensing the woman's slight unease.

"It's not that, sorry you aren't scaring me, I-" The woman stuttered.

"You're still shaken up from last night?" Cat asked.

"Yes." The lady admitted. "You see, I have two young sons and last night was quite a scare. I'd hate to think they were in any danger, but then again I'm just being an overprotective mother." By now they'd reached the houses' main room and the lady had motioned for them to sit on a couch while she sat opposite them. "They're at my Mom's right now, I didn't really want them to stay here until I knew it was safe."

"Don't worry, I'm going to end up being the same." Cat said, resting her hand upon her baby bump, which wasn't as much 'hidden' as her outfit wasn't bringing much attention to it. Cat couldn't help but let her mind wander as she looked around the room. Mere months ago this had been the room in her home, and now it was redecorated, pictures of a new family in place of her family's old ones.

"You're expecting?" The woman asked. "Congratulations dear. I had my oldest son around your age."

"Thank you." Cat smiled. It was nice to see another teen Mom who'd made her way out of it and was seemingly doing pretty well.

"But I can't help but worry, why would those people from last night be going after such a nice young girl like yourself? Especially if you're pregnant?" The lady asked.

"We think the baby might be the reason," Jade spoke up. Until now she had been very quiet, not wanting to intervene too much, but she was talkative by nature and just had to speak up.

"I don't understand." The lady asked.

"Well, I wasn't in a great friend group-" Cat began, summarising the story as much as possible. "And as soon as I found out about the baby, I left them behind. They seem to have some sort of vendetta against me, and I think those were the people who came here last night looking for me."

"Oh my gosh, that's horrible." The lady gasped. "When I was pregnant with my son when I was 19 I had a somewhat livid ex-boyfriend out for me, but not a whole gang of them."

"Yeah, it's not great," Jade spoke up.

"That's why we came here-" Cat told her. "Firstly to tell you what happened, but also to maybe help you work out who they were."

"I caught them on my secuity camera." The lady said. "But they were all wearing masks."

"It's worth a shot." Cat replied.

* * *

Unfortunately, that shot missed. Well, the metaphorical bullet still somewhat skimmed its target. The video footage was too unclear and Cat barely could tell who they were. Even the ones she could identity were no use as, in a state of Law, it was nowhere near enough evidence to prosecute anyone. All it did was clarify to Cat that her and Jade's idea was right. Cat's old friends were out for her again, and this time things were more violent than before.

It was the audio from the camera that was the worst of it all. The guys were yelling to who they thought was Cat, about why they were there: "to 'talk' about the baby". Maybe Cat would have believed them if it wasn't for their violent nature during the time. They kept yelling about how they "would find out who the father was".

Cat and Jade had no idea why they were so adamant to get her, but they just were. It was a mystery as to how they'd even found out about the baby, probably just news spreading past Hollywood Arts. After telling the lady all they could, Jade and Cat offered to pay for any damages caused. The woman politely declined, telling them that she couldn't make them pay in good conscience. And with that, they left, but not before Jade 'accidentally' left $100 on the side for the lady. Cat didn't know Jade had done it, and Jade didn't even know why she was carrying around so much money, but she felt like it was the right thing to do.

* * *

After returning home, the mood was everything but happy. The girls were upset, worried, confused and overall scared. So, so scared. They were in danger, Ellie was in danger. Everything was just so unpredictable. Within moments of getting home, Jade was on the phone to a security company, buying a state-of-the-art camera set up. It would cost quite a bit a month, but she wanted to do whatever she could to keep Cat safe.

There was something else on Jade's mind too. Something she knew she shouldn't have been thinking about- but she just couldn't help it. It took her quite a while to build up to addressing it to Cat, but she just needed to get it off of her chest. So, when they were sat beside each other on their bed, just about to lay down, Jade managed to force the words out. "C...cat." She stammered. She needed to be careful as she approached this subject. It could make Cat really angry or upset, but Jade couldn't avoid it. She just had to ask.

"Yeah?" Cat asked, looking over to Jade with her big brown eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I have to ask you something." She said, still forcing out the words.

"What is it?" Cat said. She tilted her head to the side as she looked at Jade, somewhat concerned.

"Those guys, that went to your old house-" She started. "Why were there so many of them asking about the baby? Have... have you-"

"Have I slept with all of them?" Cat finished, quickly looking away as she couldn't meet Jade's eyes.

"Y...yeah," Jade mumbled, nodded to herself.

"No," Cat said. "Not all of them."

"I know I shouldn't be asking I-"

"No, it's okay," Cat told Jade, and herself for that matter. "You deserve to know."

"O...okay, thanks," Jade said, glad she hadn't angered Cat at all.

"I'd be lying if I didn't say that I... that I had slept with some of them," Cat admitted. "I used to be all over the place when I was younger- I... I just thought... I thought that that was how parties worked."

"That you'd hang out and then they'd just use you?" Jade asked.

"Uhuh," Cat mumbled. "That's what they told me. As I got older I knew better... but it was too late by then. They all expected things, and if I said otherwise they'd stop inviting me."

"What about recently?" Jade asked. "Around Ellie's conception, I mean."

"Th...there was one or two, but not that many." Cat sighed. "There was one a month beforehand, another the week before, of course, the conception itself." She admitted. "So that's 3 guys who would be somewhat worried... but I guess Ellie's Dad wouldn't just reveal who he is like that. Either way, I sound like such a whore."

"Don't call yourself that." Jade shot back quickly. "You aren't anything like that."

"I was," Cat mumbled.

"No, you weren't. You were misguided. Those people made you that way, and you pulled yourself out of it." Jade told her adamantly before pausing briefly. "How are you so sure that none of those times caused Ellie's conception?" She added.

"I used protecting every other time. Always, I made sure of it." Cat replied. "That time... I just don't remember anything so I don't think I was safe... I just-"

"It's okay, you don't need to talk about it." Jade cut off, seeing the emotional turmoil it caused Cat. "Thank you for telling me though."

"You deserved to know," Cat repeated. "I shouldn't be keeping anything from you."

"I just want to make sure I can keep you safe," Jade replied honestly. "That's why I asked."

"And that's why you're a good girlfriend." Cat smiled up at her.

"I'm a good girlfriend for other reasons too." Jade winked, shuffling along the bed so that she was right besides Cat.

"That's very true," Cat replied, leaning into Jade as a small smile began to reappear on her face.

"I love you," Jade told Cat, turning Cat's face towards hers as she leans in too, so their foreheads rested against each other.

"I love you too," Cat replied, closing the remaining tiny space between their lips.


	44. Chapter 44

**Annoying Author's Note: I've just finished my GCSE Exams (Google it if you don't know what that means)! So now my months of intense revising are over and I have 11 weeks of summer break to focus on this story (though I am on a volunteering trip for a few weeks so I won't have quite that much time)! I'm kinda sad to be done with Secondary (high) School, but I'm staying on for Sixth Form for 2 years so I'll still see some people from my classes.**

**Anyway, I just sat down on my first day of summer break to my laptop COMPLETELY messed up. It just took me 3 hours and all of my computer knowledge to code my way through the software errors with a hell load of TroubleShooting, resets and editing DNS server addresses/ IP addresses/ gateways. I swear to God, if I lose internet connection again, there is a very high chance I will cry.**

**So that's how my morning's been. How was your's, Reader?**

* * *

The next day, the police contacted Jade and Cat about the situation involving the threats. They were very quick to explain that they would try and prosecute who the teenagers were, but with no real proof, there wasn't much that could be done. In conclusion, they weren't much help, even with Tori's Dad getting involved to try and push the case's importance within the station. It was nice to have someone they knew within the police force as Jade and Cat could at least get some extra details about their case through Tori.

When the morning after that rolled around, the girls had yet to hear anything from the suspected teenagers. Cat had blocked their numbers and social media a long time ago, so they had no way to contact her there and obviously, they didn't know her home address, but she still couldn't help but worry over how they knew where she went to school. From the moment she walked into Hollywood Arts, Cat's corrupted ex-friends would know exactly where she was, and could potentially use that knowledge against her. Needless to say, Cat was scared. Downright terrified at that. The whole day Beck, Robbie, Andre, Jade and Tori barely left the redhead's side, walking her too and from her classes like a gang of bodyguards around a high-profile celebrity.

"That was ridiculous." Jade sighed at the end of the day, just as she and Cat climbed into her car, ready to leave for the day. "We can't do that every day."

"I know." Cat sighed. "Why do I get myself in these situations?"

"You didn't do anything to provoke this," Jade replied quickly.

"Yeah, I guess." Cat sighed. She started the car engine and looked across the parking lot where Beck was doing the same and nodded to him. Their plan for leaving was that Beck was to follow their car closely behind, just as an extra precaution. For all they knew, Cat's ex-friends could've been sat in the parking lot too, waiting to follow Cat and Jade's car home, so it was best to have Beck there as an extra set of eyes or an at least as a deterrent. Once the Canadian boy nodded back, Cat pulled the car into drive and made her way out of the school.

"You don't believe me do you?" Jade asked.

"I'm trying to." Cat sighed, focusing on the road in front of her. "You doing okay?"

"Yeah." Jade nodded. No matter how strong she acted, being in a car was still a little hard for her since the crash a month before. She could cope with the journey while Cat was driving and she constantly had a distraction, but she wasn't ready yet to be behind the wheel herself. "How about you?" She asked.

"I'm fine in cars-" Cat said.

"No, I meant about all this. The reason Beck is following behind." Jade told her.

"I'm trying not to think about it." Cat sighed. "It doesn't look like anyone is following us at least." She added, looking in the rear-view mirror and past Beck's car behind them.

* * *

Once they eventually made their way home, they made sure to stay sat inside the car for a few minutes, meaning that they could still leave quickly in case any unwanted visitors made an appearance. Luckily, no one did, so the girls gave their farewells to Beck and walked into their house.

"Home sweet home," Cat announced as she laid down upon the couch, eager to rest her sore feet and back.

"Has Ellie been giving you pain today?" Jade asked, placing pillows under Cat's feet.

"A little, but not more than normal." Cat shrugged. "I'm dreading how much worse this will get when I'm closer to the due date. But I'm obviously really looking forward to May."

"Me too." Jade smiled. "I can't wait until she's born. She's gonna be so adorable and small and- I'm going all mushy again." She said, shuddering to herself.

"I like it when you're sensitive." Cat smiled up at her.

"I know you-" The rest of Jade's sentence suddenly refused to take flight as it was interrupted by the sharp sound of the shrill front-door bell. Whoever it was had put their thumb on the button without releasing it at all, demanding to be answered. Both the red-head and brunette jumped like the button was hardwired to their brains, and were stood as still as statues until the continuous incessant ringing finally stopped. For all they knew it could have merely been an impatient package-delivery driver, but there was a huge chance it was one of Cat's ex-friends. And the idea of the latter was terrifying.

"Sh..should we answer that?" Cat stuttered out.

"I'll check the Security Camera first," Jade said, pulling out her phone and opening up the camera app- something that she had set up the day before due to Amazon's One Day Delivery. It only took her a few moments for her phone screen to display the image outside of the door- showing something somewhat strange.

"Who is it?" Cat asked.

"There's no one there," Jade replied, her brows furrowed together in confusion.

"Do you think we just imagined the doorbell ringing"? Cat spoke up, her head tilted to the side.

"How could we imagine something simultaneously?" Jade replied quickly. "Maybe they're still outside, just hiding until we answer."

"Maybe they left a note or something?" Cat suggested.

"I'll go check, you stay in here," Jade told her. "If anyone is out there still, I'll get rid of them." She growled, bending over and pulling a pair of scissors out of her previously discarded school bag. Next, she walked out of the room and towards the front door.

"O...okay." Cat stuttered. She knew Jade meant well, but she was hoping no one would end up getting hurt. She lowered herself back onto the couch, listening out for the sound of yelling or at least talking. But, there was none. "Jade?" She called out. For a moment there was no response and Cat's heart seemingly fell out of her chest, but when Jade silently returned back into the room, it leapt back up again in relief. "Who was it?" Cat asked.

"There was still no-one there." Jade shrugged, not looking up at Cat as she slowly walked in.

"We can just look back in the camera log right?" Cat asked.

"I did when I was out there," Jade said half-heartedly, still not looking up. "The guy covered his face."

"What's wrong?" Cat spoke up, pushing herself off of the couch and walking over to her girlfriend.

"This was left on the floor outside the door." Her voice was cold and very distant as she spoke, her hand shaking as she raised it, a folded piece of paper in her grasp.

"What does it say?" Cat inquired.

"It's... it's not good." Jade stuttered. Slowly she unfolded the paper to reveal a page of almost unreadable spider-scrawl handwriting of smudged black ink.

_"Cat," _The letter began. _"We just want to talk. Friday night was a mistake, we were just angry. Meet us at the skate park at midnight and come alone. The police still have nothing on us and calling them tonight will make things worse. Remember, if you don't come we now know where you live. And then it won't be just to talk."_

"How much do you wanna bet that they don't 'just want to talk'?" Jade mumbled.

"Eith...either way-" Cat stuttered. "I...I need to go."

"You do realise I'm not letting you do that right?" Jade said sternly.

"Jade they know where we live now, God only knows how, and I'm not putting you in that danger." Cat sighed.

"And I'm not putting you in the danger of letting you go there tonight!" Jade boarder-line yelled. Jade very rarely got mad at Cat, but she was still an irritable person at heart. Overall, she was very protective of those she loved and would do anything to keep them safe, even if it meant getting mad at said person to 'knock some sense into them'.

"Tough!" Cat snapped back, her pregnancy hormones igniting a defensive spark inside of her. "You aren't my Mom, you can't tell me what to do!"

"But you're about to be a Mom-" Jade started, spinning Cat's words back around to her. "And you're about to put your daughter in danger!"

"Are you saying I'm going to be a bad Mom?!" Cat yelled.

"No! Of course not! I'm just trying to make you see how dangerous this is!" Jade yelled exasperated. "I care about you too much to see you getting hurt, or Ellie getting hurt. I... Cat I just can't lose you alright. Please." Jade's tone turned from anger to sorrow as the words flowed. Her voice cracked and tears threatened to brim her eyes as she spoke. "Please." She repeated.

Jade's look of despair sent a wave of guilt though Cat as if it were an electrical impulse running through each and every nerve in her body. The show of pure emotion in front of her reminded her that Jade's words were ones of spite, but of love. Cat instantly regretted yelling back. "I'm sorry." She mumbled. "B...but I still need to go."

"I know." Jade nodded, reflecting Cat's demeanour change. "How about we compromise? I'll go with you."

Cat paused briefly before slowly nodding. "Screw that letter; I'm not going alone."

"Screw all of them. Wait-" Jade said, realising her innuendo wording.

"...that's what caused the problem in the first place," Cat mumbled, cracking the joke, unable to stop the slight upturn of her lips. Despite how much the situation sucked and Cat couldn't help but regret her past, laughter is always the best medicine and joking is the best way to heal.

Jade bit on her lip to stop herself from smirking with it too, unsure if it was appropriate or not. After a few moments of inwardly smiling, Jade spoke up again. "So where is this 'skate park'?"

"It's only a 15-minute drive away. It's where we'd hang out before parties sometimes." Cat told her.

"Can you skate?" Jade asked.

"No, I don't think any of us do." Cat shrugged. "It's just a place out of the way of everything- where they'd smoke and things like that."

"You've taken drugs?" Jade asked, raising an eyebrow.

"God no." Cat shook her head. "I wouldn't - I don't even know how."

"Hey, it's alright." Jade stopped her. "I've smoked weed once or twice when I was with Beck."

"Beck does weed?" Cat asked in shock.

"Not often." Jade shrugged. "See, we all have a slightly reckless past."

"Just some more than others," Cat replied, motioning to herself and then Jade.

"That's the good thing about the past though. It's, well, in the past." Jade told her, giving her a weak smile.

"Yeah, I guess." Cat shrugged.

"We'd better eat something and have a nap, we've got a long night ahead of us." Jade sighed, turning the subject back to its original focus.

"Food and a nap?" Cat asked, trying to look at this in a positive light. "Sign me up."


	45. Chapter 45

Jade POV

A few hours later, Cat and I were in our bed after following my plan to eat and then sleep before we needed to leave. She'd fallen asleep at 9 on the dot, laying flat on her back with her hands rested on her bump. Beside her, I'd yet to even close my eyes, apart from blinking obviously. Every time I tried all the reasons not to leave just came flooding in as if my body had just sent them an open invitation. I felt the soft panic that could grow or fade depending on what I was to do next. It would fade if I backed away, but then the threat would only worsen in the future. It would grow if I let those thoughts swirl into a vortex of stupidity, eating their own tail. Or I could breathe really slow, let the thoughts slip away and give me true control of myself.

I rarely admit my fear. It can be at a level that would induce paralysis in others and yet I carry on as if nothing is wrong. I'm not allowed to be afraid. I'm not allowed to show the tenseness that grows in my head and heart. I'm more of a protector, the rock to ease the others. There is an air of roughness, imperiousness and maturity that I developed as I grew, meaning fearlessness was quickly expected of me regardless of age and I simply reached it faster than my peers. A change in style, a few piercings and a resting bitch face just added to my cold demeanour, resulting in childhood treatment being gone shortly before the teen years begin. So I rise to the expectations; I stand tall no matter what comes my way, always protecting those surrounding me.

But there are times where I just can't help it. A part of me believes the note, that those guys do only want to talk, but I can't help but think otherwise. For God's sake, they turned up to her old house with rocks to break things. I just don't trust them. That's what I'm scared of- the uncertainty and potential harm they could cause Cat.

Cat. I couldn't help but let my eyes wander over to her as she slept beside me, the soft light from the bedside lamp allowing me to see her. Somehow, she never moves in her sleep, always laying as still as a brick; the only movement was ever the slight rise and fall of her chest. Though I couldn't help but notice the difference that night. Normally, her features were soft and delicate in sleep, an expression of a slight smile of peace. However, that night there as the clear burrowing lines that creased her brow, replacing by the youthful appearance that typically graced her face. Slowly, I reached across and lightly brushed my hand across her cheek, hoping it would relieve some tension. Instead, she violently flinched away, her eyes still tightly closed. I pulled my hand back straight away and continued to observe her, my own brow now furrowed similarly to hers. In the following moments of silence, I could hear how uneven her breathing was, too fast and too shallow. "Cat?" I spoke, loud enough to normally wake up the light sleeper. "Cat?" I repeated.

"J...Jade?" She whispered back.

"Are you awake or not?" I asked. My name was slurred and almost inaudibly quiet when it left her lips like she was still asleep. But in all the time I'd slept next to her she'd never once sleep-talked.

"Jade?" She repeated in the same muted tone.

"Cat I'm here," I said, sitting upright in the bed. Without thinking, I placed my hand upon her arm, resulting in a similar reaction to the last time I had touched her, this moment so violent that she physically pushed me away at the same time. Her breathing increased and she suddenly started to squirm. That's when I realised she was having a nightmare. Nightmares weren't foreign to either of us. I myself have had one or two since the crash, and Cat was prone to them when Blaise and his friends broke into her home all those months ago. Neither of us had had any in a long time though, but it seemed at if Cat was breaking this trend.

"Jadey..." My name left her lips again. "Jadey run."

"I'm not going anywhere," I told her comatose state. "I'm staying right here."

"No, run." She repeated, twitching slightly. "They'll hurt you."

"Who is they?" I asked. If I couldn't wake her up then I needed to know what was happening to her.

"Jadey r-" She suddenly cut herself off with a scream that tore through me like a great shard of glass. It was the kind of scream that made your blood run cold. It pierced my brain and ignited some primaeval pathway. Adrenaline surged through my veins, fight or flight, stand or run, be a hero or a coward. But there was no one to fight. It was all in Cat's head. The scream came again, desperate, terrified... Cat. It had a raw quality, the realness of a person consumed by a pain that knew no end or limit. Then she just went quiet, just panting.

Now she was thrashing around in her sleep, the sheets twisted around her limbs. Her cheeks were wet and her body was bathed in a cold sweat. God only knew what was happening inside her head, but it had to stop. Not only was this a mental attack on her, but the rate at which her limbs were thrashing about, she could have physically hurt herself- or even Ellie. "CAT!" I screamed out, hoping it would be enough to jolt her back into reality. "CAT!" It wasn't working. "Oh for-" I spun my body to face the table beside our bed and grabbed the glass of water that I had left there. She would hate me for this, but it was the only thing I knew to do. As soon as the cold water touched her face; Cat was awake. She bolted upright like she was hooked up the mains, barely giving me enough time to move the now empty glass out of the way to stop her from smashing her face into it.

As her brain adjusted to suddenly waking in the dark bedroom, she was seemingly in shock. Her eyes were wide with horror, mouth rigid and open, her chalky face gaunt and immobile. The remnants of her nightmare still clung to her mind, haunting her.

"Cat?" I said her name for the 6th time. Now that she was awake I hoped it would actually mean something this time.

"Yeah?" She replied bluntly.

"Sorry," I said.

"About what?" She asked, her voice was slightly distant as she looked over at me.

"For pouring water over you," I told her.

"Y...you did?" Cat asked, raising a hand to her face and suddenly feeling the moister all over it. "Oh, right... It's okay."

"Do you want to talk about your nightmare?" I asked.

"I... I can't really remember it." She shrugged. I honestly couldn't tell if she was lying or not.

"Can you try?" I asked, slowly taking her hand in my own, using the other to wipe some of the water from her brow.

Cat nodded slowly as she tried to piece together every detail of her mismatched nightmare. "It was about later." She began. "It... it well didn't go well. They started to get violent. They hurt you and you wouldn't run... I... I told you to run but you wouldn't."

"It's just a dream Cat," I replied soothingly. "I'm okay, I promise." I held out my arms for her to lean into them. I didn't care that water was still dripping off of her, I just cared that she was okay. As soon as her head was rested upon my shoulder, my arms wrapped around her frame, I was content in my comfort and allowed her to realise it would be okay.

"Thank you." She mumbled into my shoulder.

"It's okay," I replied, not really sure what she was thanking me for. After a few moments of silence, I spoke up again." Maybe we shouldn't go." I suggested.

Slowly, Cat pulled away from the hug to look at me. "We have to." She said.

"How about we call the police as back up?" I asked.

"The note said not to." Cat replied. "They said they'd know if we did."

"That was just an empty threat." I dismissed. "How about we call Tori?" I asked.

"Why Tori?" She asked back.

"Her dad is a cop." I reminded. "If anything bad happens, I'll send her a message and she'll get her Dad to round up other cops."

"I...I'm okay with that." Cat nodded.

"Good." I smiled weakly. "You go wipe the water off and I'll call Tori," I told her.

"Kay kay," She smiled back, pulling herself up off of the bed. "What's the time?"

"11:20," I replied, looking quickly at the clock on the bedside table. "We'll leave in 20 minutes."

* * *

_"Hello?" _Tori mumbled into the phone.

"I've never been glad to know that you're awake," I spoke back.

_"It's 11:20 at night." _Tori pointed out as if I didn't already know. _"What's up? Wait- is Cat in labour or something?"_

"What? No. She's 6 months along not 9." I dismissed. "But it is about Cat."

_"What is it?" _Tori asked.

"We've got a bit of a problem." I began.

After about 5 minutes I'd managed to catch Tori up with the past events. She was not happy. She was almost as mad as I was when I found out. She wanted to come with us to help protect Cat too, but I told her no, it' wasn't like she had a car to follow us anyway. Luckily, she agreed to tell her dad if something bad happened. Our agreement was that I had a help message left in my phone, meaning I only had to turn it on and click send. If she received the message, Tori would tell her Dad what was happening, and he would do the rest. It was a backup plan, as hopefully things wouldn't get bad enough to use it. But I wouldn't feel safe without it. Well, I didn't feel overly safe even with it, but it did help.

_"Tell me when you get there," _Tori told me. _"And if you don't have to send the text, call me afterwards."_

"Yes, Mom," I replied mockingly.

_"I'm just being a good friend," _Tori replied.

"And I appreciate it," I told her honestly.

_"Was that praise from Jade West?" _She asked, mocking me back.

"Yes." I sighed. "No matter how much of a gank I can be, thank you for doing this for Cat."

_"I'm doing this for you as well Jade. I don't hate you remember, that's your thing."_

"I don't hate you," I replied. "Not anymore at least."

_"I'm flattered."_

"It's only 'cause I know you don't have a thing for Cat as you did with Beck." I jab.

_"I never had a thing for Beck!" _She replied quickly.

"I was just joking Tori." I shook my head.

_"You better be."_

At this moment, Cat came back into the room in a hoodie and jeans, no more water on her face and her hair brushed down and some light mascara on her lashes which was previously smudged from sleeping. "We're gonna get ready to leave now," I told Tori. "I'll keep you updated. Bye."

_"Cya, be careful." _And with that, I ended the call.


	46. Chapter 46

Jade POV

"Ready?" I asked Cat as my hand was on the inside handle of our front door. We were just about to leave due to the instructions of an ominous and anonymous letter. If Cat could hear my thoughts she'd point out how similar those words sound.

"Yeah." Cat nodded. "Are you?"

"I can be." I shrugged.

"Let's go then." Cat encouraged. I can tell she's scared but putting on a brave face, as I should be.

"Oh right yeah," I muttered, pushing down the handle opening the door. Outside it was the typical LA street of my home, covered by the darkness of night. No more than a few hours ago the sky was painted with hues of red, orange and pink, but all colour had faded leaving only a matt black canvas to be looked upon. The stars in the sky were nonexistent, as between us stood puffs of grey. Those balls of cotton seen during the day shifted into streams of grey the colour of ash and soot. They blanketed the sky, hiding the full moon in its full glory behind them, leaving its light only as a hazy ominous feel.

As Cat and I walked towards the car, the road felt eerily silent around us. All else that seemed to exist was the chilly wind that's harsh bite could be felt through my hoodie. LA never gets cold enough to need a coat, yet there I was wishing I had one. I could feel the hairs on my arm raised and the bite of the wind had left its mark in the form of small bumps that were tingling on my arms. It felt as if my blood ran cold through my veins and my bones were chilled. Though I shook it off, it had to have just been nerves.

Cat unlocked the car and I climbed into the passenger seat. I can't help but shiver as I buckle my seatbelt around me as Cat does the same. It's been a month since the crash... but I just can't help it. Normally I can try and brush off the tightening in my chest. I could make myself control the tremor in my voice and could consciously will my body movements to be less stilted. I could even make himself smile somewhat even if it looked pasted on. But this time it just felt harder to control myself than most.

I knew I was scared when those old fears run through my head too; when I heard the taunting tire screeches and car shaking. I knew I was scared when those bad memories cut loose their chains and invaded my confidence, trying to erode the person I had built since that day. But I couldn't let Cat know I was panicking, that would only make things worse for her too. So I took a deep breath and ordered my body to fall in line. Nothing in my face betrayed my fear, it was a mask of defiance and surety, that's what I had to do. The fear would need an out, of course, but there was a time and a place and that sure as hell wasn't it. I looked over to Cat to see if she'd noticed my slight blunder, but she was just focused on the road ahead.

Like me, she seemingly wore a mask to cover her true emotions. She had done since we got the call from her parents. She said she is wasn't scared but I could see her body movements were tighter, even in the car her she was sat bolt upright with a vice-like grip of the steering wheel. For the previous few days, her smiles had been shorter and silences longer. I wished I could've heard what was going on in her head first hand, perhaps then I would have been able to provide proper help. It had only been a short amount of time, but the effects were already so clear and I dreaded to think how much worse it would get if the troubles didn't end that night. Still, Cat continued to focus on the road, her eyes as steady as if it were any other regular drive.

And thus my momentary distraction of thoughts had passed, and I was once again faced with the reality that I was in a car, something that had slowly become my biggest fear. Some nights, I wished I lived in the country. Living in the city meant more people were out and about at night, cars drove around with their headlights on, each one moving too fast for my liking, and after the crash, I just couldn't take it. Sometimes I just wanted to see the dark blanket we called the sky littered with twinkling stars. I wanted shooting stars to be a normal thing. For just one night, all I wanna see is the moon and a sky full of stars.

But hey. Just 'wishing' doesn't get you things and you have to put up with what you got. That night wasn't about my struggles with sitting in a car. It was about Cat and the major threat we were heading towards. That's where my focus needed to be, so that's where I put it.

* * *

Cat POV

As I pulled up to the skatepark and turned off the engine, the fear sat on me like a pillow over my mouth and nose. Enough air could get by it, allowing my body to keep functioning, but it was crippling all the same time. I tried desperately to stay calm and keep a relaxed facade, but my inside were dying slowly. In the distance, I could see a faint glow of light from onto of the half-pipe across the field, our old hangout spot. From that far, I couldn't exactly tell how many people were there as there were 2 cars in the lot around us, that was a safe bet as to the number of people there. Only 2. Good, that lowered the threat level. I had a rough idea as to who they were: the two guys I had... um slept with... around the time of Ellie's conception. I was glad to know it was only them here, but then again there could have been others hiding out somewhere, ready to back them up like they'd done before when they trashed the lawn of my old house.

I had to try and stay positive and tell myself that that wasn't the case and shook the thought from my head. I saw Jade send Tori a message beside me, telling her that we'd arrived. I was glad we had that back-up plan, but that didn't stop my internal shaking.

"Ready?" Jade asked me from the passenger seat, just as she had done before we left the house.

"Yeah, are you?" I repeated.

"Too late to back down now," Jade sighed.

She was right. The lights of the car had already alerted the guys on the other side of the field so they knew we were there. In theory, I could have just turned on the engine and driven off, but what was the point of that? We were already there. We may as well have gotten out of the car. So we did.

The skate park was on the opposite side of a small field, a play-park and soccer pitches between us, with only a grey path stretching out towards them to lead our way. Slowly, Jade and I began to walk down it. It was almost bizarre how the dark park suited the gloom I kept inside. How the laughter of the children in the park had died along with the light of the day. In the darkness, the shadowed grass was left to recover from the happy frenetic footfalls, soccer balls and picnics. The trees swayed, barely visible against matt black night. Leaves scurried along the path and the breeze became more keen, raising goosebumps on my arms. Other than the steady sound of mine and Jade's footfalls, there was nothing but wide open space as we headed towards the skate park.

We weren't even halfway across the field when I could already smell the distinct stench of marijuana. Great. I hated that smell and everything it represented. Nearly every time I hung out with those guys they were smoking something, and I hated it. God only knows how they didn't con me into that too. I nearly gagged as we got closer, but I just put that down to my heightened pregnancy smell. I made a mental note to breathe as little as possible. I knew that it wouldn't have any effect on the baby in such a small amount, but my over-protective mind went to work. I saw Jade wrinkle her nose as we got even closer, but she brushed it off too.

"You came." A voice called out. Jade and I had just reached the distance where we were in clear sight of the three guys on the half-pipe. He, along with the other guy, put out their blunts, pulled themselves up off of the ledge and climbed off of it. Now, that I could see their faces I was left in a state of semi-relief. I was right, and they were the guys I expected them to be. It was somewhat awkward to be facing them like this, but at least I definitely knew why I was called, they wanted answers. "And you aren't alone." He added. Instantly, I knew that this was Aaron. He's known for being somewhat of an Alpha-male, which would explain why he was the first to talk. He, like me, had Mediterranean heritage, giving him a natural olive tan and dark hair and eyes. At some point, I would have called him handsome, but now I thought overwise.

"What's the problem?" Jade asked from beside me, crossing her arms over her chest. "There's two of you so why should Cat be alone?" I could tell she was trying to hide any fear, and she was doing it well. Not only did Jade have a natural air of dominance and confidence but she was also an amazing actress and could manipulate her emotions to further influence this.

"Fine." Aaron sighed. "As long as she doesn't get in the way." He directed this at me.

"It depends on what your intentions are," Jade replied.

"Can you not speak for yourself anymore Cat?" The second guy, Liam, spoke up. He was someone who had all the height of a man but none of the bulk. There were muscles under his shirt, but not the bulky kind men can get from years of weight lifting. From behind he could be anywhere in his late teens to early thirties, but when he turned that face was all boy. His hair was an organised-mess of orangey-red, it would have been lion-like had he not been so skinny with a light scattering of freckles across his cheeks.

"I can," I spoke up despite my heart that was hammering in my chest I keep my gait casual with no hint of hesitation. "I just choose not to."

"That's something new." Aaron joked, making him and Liam snicker, mocking my overactive personality.

At this point, it was like we were in a Mexican Standoff. Neither side was getting any closer to an end goal. Jade and I were just stood beside eachother while Liam and Aaron stood opposite. It was cold and I was tired so someone had to move the conversation on. "So why did you call us here?" I interrupted.

"Because of that-" Liam spoke up, pointing directly at me. His hand was angled slightly down making it clear that he was motioning towards my baby bump.

"'That' is a she," Jade growled defensively.

"It doesn't matter." Liam dismissed. "Who's its Dad?" He asked bluntly.

"I... I don't know." I sighed, my eyes darting to my feet.

"Oh great," Aaron grumbled, running a hand through his dark hair. "Then you've gotta get rid of it."

"What?!" I yelled in shock. "No!"

"Well I'm not paying for it if it's mine!" Aaron snapped back. I felt Jade instantly tense up beside me and take a step forward.

"Me neither." Liam joined.

"Neither of you have a say in this." Jade interrupted. "It's Cat's choice. She's carrying the baby."

"And she's the one that will end up making me pay for it!" Aaron commented.

"Maybe you should have thought about that beforehand." Jade pointed out.

"She should have kept her legs crossed." Liam retorted and I felt myself blush a deep red.

"How dare you," Jade growled, stepping forward.

As the boys stepped forward too, I sensed a fight brewing. The dread was like an invisible demon sitting heavy on my shoulders and only I could hear the sharpening of its knives. I could feel myself start to sweat and become pale, then the tremor in my hands began. My head became a little giddy and my stomach nauseous. I had to stop this. "It's not your baby," I told them quickly.

"Really?" Aaron and Liam replied simultaneously, looking away from Jade and towards me. The way their eyes lit up just made me feel horrible. I can't believe I once called them my friends when they asked so inhumanly.

"But you said you didn't know," Liam added, raising an eyebrow.

"There's a third guy," I replied briefly, willing myself not to think about it too much. No matter how much I pushed away what happened that night, mainly due to fuzzed memories, it still hurt me to think about "At a party back in August. I don't know who he is or where he came from. All I know is that he slipped something in my drink and wasn't there when I woke up."

"I'm not sure whether to be relieved or not," Aaron said. "I mean.. I'm glad it's not my kid, but whoever that guy was is a douche bag."

"Yeah." Liam nodded. "If you tell us what party it was I'm sure I could find the guy and beat him up."

"Me too," Aaron added.

I was completely taken aback by this. These were the guys I knew, not the ones from a few minutes prior. Sure, the guys in that group sometimes took advantage of me. Hell, most people did. But most of the time they protected me, like a band of big brothers, and that's why it took me so long to leave. "No." I shook my head. "I don't want to know who it was."

"Alright," Aaron told me. "That's all we wanted to know. I hope things go well for you Cat."

"Thank you." I smiled, taking Jade's hand and walking away and along the field. I turned around briefly to see Aaron and Liam high-fiving in celebration as Aaron pulled out his phone.

"That was... weird," Jade commented as we walked down the field. "It's like their personalities just flipped in seconds."

"I'm like that sometimes." I shrugged. Sure, it was weird, but I was just glad I'd seen their true selves momentarily and that nothing bad had happened.

"Maybe it's that group that did it to you." She commented.

"Probably." I shrugged, not really listening to her.

As we approached the car and I pulled out the keys to unlock it. A group of 3 other cars sped past us, seemingly producing out of thin air from a nearby wooded off area. I passed it off as a group of teens on a midnight rampage-drive about before reminding myself that it was a Monday night and that the wooded area wasn't large enough to really drive through. Clearly, they'd just been sat in there. Jade seemed to notice this too as she spoke up. "Does anything else weird wanna happen tonight?" She commented.

"Yeah," I replied as the cars sped out of the parking lot, a bright red Audi A3 at the back. I remember thinking that that was a nice car for a teenager before my mind went to work. Blaise had a bright red Audi A3. "Oh." The word left my lips before I released it and I completely stopped in my place, dropping the car keys that I was holding. As they clattered against the ground, Jade noticed my sudden change in demeanour.

"You okay?" Jade asked, quickly walking over to me and picking up the keys.

"Those cars," I said bluntly. "They were my old friend's."

"The two guys we just talked to?" Jade asked, not understanding what I'd meant.

"No, not them. Others" I shook my head. "Aaron and Liam had back up hiding over there."

"What the Hell?!" Jade said in shock.

"Let's just go." I shook myself, sighing to myself as I took back the keys and climbed into the driver's seat of the car.

"That's insane," Jade muttered to herself. "And they wanted you to go alone?! What the Hell?" She repeated. "What was even the point of having backup?"

"I guess it was for if I said the baby was one of theres." I gulped. "But I don't want to think about it. I'm just tired and want to go home."

"Fine." Jade sighed, pulling her seatbelt across herself. "I'll call Tori, let her know things went okay. We'll talk about this in the morning okay?"

"Okay," I replied, nodding my head and turning on the car engine as I stifle a yawn.


	47. Chapter 47

No POV

A Week later

Time passed without any significant events, including any run-times with Cat's ex-friends. It was as if after they found out the truth, they completely stopped caring, positively or negatively. Cat couldn't help but feel hurt by this, but hey it was what she'd wanted.

By now, Cat was 28 weeks pregnant, meaning she was officially in her third trimester and Ellie was the size that was oddly compared to an aubergine, about 37.6cm (14.8in) long. This strain was definitely taking a toll on her small body, but she was pushing through it. Fatigue was her main symptom, meaning her eyes shut as soon as she had an opportunity to sleep. This is why Cat was asleep on the couch at Tori's house, while the rest of her friends sat around the table nearby, playing a very heated game of Monopoly.

"6!" Tori announced as she released the dice that she'd previously shaken in her hand. "1, 2, 3-" She started moving her little metal thimble piece along the board. "4, 5, 6... oh great." She sighed, she'd just landed on Jade's hotel-placed-property.

"Yes!" Jade announced, fist-bumping the air. "That's $950, Tori." She continued.

"But that will bankrupt me!" Tori defended.

"Good," Jade smirked, putting her hand out for the money.

"But... but." Tori stuttered. "Beck, Andre, Robbie help?" She looked towards the boys, who were also sat around the board.

"Can't." Andre shrugged. "I've already mortgaged away all my stuff."

"Same here." Beck added.

"Robbie?" Tori asked the afro-haired boy.

"I've only got $200." He replied. "Do you see how much of the board Jade has?" He motioned to the board in front of them were over half was covered by Jade's little green houses and red hotels. Any properties owned by the rest of them had either been mortgaged or sold to Jade to pay for landing on her's. It didn't help that when Cat stopped playing she'd given all of her assets to Jade as well.

"Oh come on Jade, please," Tori begged. "That property isn't even yours, it's Cat's."

"As her girlfriend, I feel like I'm entitled to it." Jade shrugged. "Give over the money."

"Fine." Tori sighed. After a few minutes all of Tori's properties had been mortgaged off and any spare money she had, given to Jade.

Like all games of Monopoly, one person was left with a hefty pile of money and properties (which in this case was Jade), while the rest of the players were left with practically nothing. This is typically the point where the game ends, and despite Jade's protests in wanting to continue as she 'was having too much fun beating them', the other 4 had definitely had enough of loosing.

"You lot are no fun." Jade pouted as the board was being placed back into the box.

"I'm starting to remember why we play card games rather than monopoly." Tori mumbled.

"Spoilsport." Jade stuck her tongue out at Tori. "I'll just go check on Cat." She added, standing up from the table and walking over to the red couches. Cat was stretched out across one of them, her body curving with the couch, eyes drooped shut and a hand rested on her baby-bump. Serenity was plastered across her face, her consciousness swirled in the land of dreams, oblivious to the physical world. As Jade approached, Cat stayed asleep, but the darker haired girl couldn't help but give in to the urge to place her hand on Cat's baby bump anyway. Something about it just always brought her such a spark of joy, and she knew that it wouldn't wake Cat. Jade just loved to feel Ellie move around under her touch, reminding her that each day brought her closer to her birth. This time, however, Jade felt something different. She couldn't feel movement. In fact, she couldn't feel anything at all. Cat's bump was just rock-solid. "No..." Her voice trailed off as she quickly pulled Cat's shirt up to properly uncover the bump, leaving it still covering her bra.

"What?" Tori asked, standing up quickly and walking over to Jade.

"This isn't right!" Jade said, moving her hand around Cat's still hard bump. As she spoke, she felt a slight movement. At first, she was flushed with relief but then the horror came back in full force when she realised what the movement was. It wasn't Ellie. It was Cat's muscles. They were contracting under her touch

"W...what?" Tori stuttered, trying to understand. All she could see was Jade stood over Cat, her hand on the baby bump, a look of distress across her face. By now the boys had joined her, and they all looked equally concerned.

"Cat!" Jade yelled, moving her attention to try and wake the redhead, who has somehow stayed asleep thus far. "Cat wake up!" She repeated, leaving over and placing her hand's on Cat's shoulders to lightly shake her awake.

"Huh?" Cat slurred as her eyes slowly opened. "Jadey what is it?" She asked quickly once her eyes had focused, revealing that Jade was mere inches from her face, her eyes filled with tears.

"Something's wrong," Jade told her, placing her hand back on Cat's bump. "I think you're in labour."

"N...no I 'm not." Cat shook her head, pulling herself slightly upright, looking at Jade with a very confused expression.

"Yes, you are!" Jade replied. She could still feel the tightness under her hand. "Stay laid down."

"I think I would know," Cat replied. "Reluctantly laying down."

"How can you not feel this?" Jade asked, grabbing Cat's hand to also place on the bump. "That's not normal. Someone call an ambulance." She told her friends.

"Don't," Cat told them, "Jade I'm fine, Ellie's fine. It's just-"

"Cat I felt a contraction!" Jade interrupted, at this point, she was the definition of panicked. "You're too early to be in labour, we need to get you to a hosp-"

"I'm not in labour!" Cat repeated, louder, cutting Jade off. "It's Braxton Hicks! I've been getting them for the last few hours!"

"Hours?" Jade asked wide-eyed. "Why didn't you tell me?! And Braxton Hicks? Are you sure?"

"Because I knew you'd freak out. And yes I'm sure." Cat told her adamantly. "I'm fine, it doesn't even hurt, it's just slightly annoying."

"Wait-" Tori interrupted. "Should I call an ambulance or not?" She asked, her phone in her hand.

"No." Cat shook her head. "I'm fine, Jade's just being dramatic."

"I'm not 'being dramatic'! You scared me!" Jade responded.

"Thank you for being so caring," Cat told her, pulling herself upright again and placing her hand on Jade's and pulling it back onto her bump. "See, it's normal again now."

"What just happened?" Robbie spoke up from where he, Beck and Andre had all been stood a few metres away, each stood in a state of shock and confusion. None of them really knew what had just happened, it was just all so fast. Together, they walked over to them and sat on the opposite couch.

"I just had Braxton Hicks-" Cat summarised as she pulled herself into a sitting position on the couch next to Jade, "-and Jade thought they were labour contractions."

"What is Braxton Hicks?" Andre asked.

"It's where my abdomen tightens for about 30 seconds every so often. They happen when I or Ellie move about a lot." She explained. "I only started getting them today."

"So they weren't contractions?" Robbie asked, still trying to wrap his head around it all.

"No." Cat shook her head. "Contractions hurt a lot and the tightness comes from the pelvis. Braxton Hicks is like a band tightening across the abdomen." She said, reciting the information she'd learnt about them.

"I'm glad at least one of us knows what's going on." Tori joked.

"I've been trying to learn as much as I can." Cat shrugged. "I normally suck at remembering stuff so I'm really trying. I should be in all honesty as I am the one having the baby."

"I need to do some more research," Jade mumbled to herself. "I can't react like that every time something happens."

"I think it was kinda sweet." Cat smiled at her. "And I did need to be woken up before I over-slept."

"Want to join us for another game of Monopoly?" Jade asked.

"We are not playing that again," Beck spoke up, which the others nodded to in agreement to.

"Damn it." Jade muttered under her breath. She really did like winning.


	48. Chapter 48

The following Friday, also known as February 19th, was Tori's 18th birthday. Cat was ecstatic over this, she loved birthdays and couldn't help but get excited for Tori. Jade, on the other hand, really couldn't care less.

"Jadeeyyyyy!" Cat squealed as she bundled out of the car in the Hollywood Arts Parking Lot, waiting for her girlfriend to do the same. "Hurry!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming," Jade replied, sliding out of the car and shutting the door. "Don't run- arghhh." She sighed as Cat practically galloped away from her and towards the school, Tori's present in a gift-bag, swaying on her arm as she ran. "How does she move that fast while pregnant?" Jade ponded to herself as she followed Cat at a much slower pace.

She barely made it through the door in time to see Cat with a broad smile on her face, showing said bag into Tori's arms. The half-Latina was still in a state of shock from the sudden and rapid appearance of the red-head. "Open it!" Cat told her, bouncing slightly in her place in anticipation.

"Okay, okay," Tori replied, pulling open the bag and reaching her hand into it. Moments later she pulled out a tiny box. After opening that, there was another box inside. After opening that, there was a third box inside. "Cat, is this a joke?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Whattie?" Cat asked, looking at the pile of increasing smaller boxes. "I didn't do that." She frowned.

"I did," Jade smirked, laughing to herself as she walked up to them, handed Tori the actual present, a single jewellery gift box. "I swapped them this morning, I thought it would be funny."

"Jade!" Cat grumbled. "Okay, now open it, Tori."

"If there's another box in here I will throw it at your head, Jade," Tori told Jade.

"I've had my fun now," Jade replied, raising her arms in mock surrender. "There are only so many times I can annoy Cat before she blows up on me." She added, looking over to her slightly enraged girlfriend. "Though I am starting to think that once was too far."

After deciding that Jade was telling the truth, Tori opened the new box. "This is so cute!" She gasped, taking the small charm bracelet from inside it.

"Really?" Cat asked. "I've been planning it for ages!"

"It's perfect!" Tori smiled, pulling the smaller girl into a quick hug before looking back at the charm. It was a simple silver-coloured chain with little music-related charms on it. There was a treble and bass clef charm, a little microphone charm, a piano charm, a guitar charm, 2 joined quaver notes charm, and the final charm was a pair of tiny metal headphones. "You're the best at gifts," Tori told Cat.

"I like giving people things is all," Cat replied, a smile beaming across her face.

"Now that you're 2 years over the driving age, are you finally going to get a licence?" Jade said to Tori.

"You don't ever take a day off do you?" Tori replied. "Not even for my birthday?"

"I think I've been pretty nice recently in all honesty." Jade shrugged.

"So do you have anything else planned for today?" Cat asked Tori, redirecting the conversation back.

"Mom, Dad are taking me out for a meal tonight," Tori told her, trying to clip the charm bracelet around her wrist. However, with one arm still in a cast, it was appearing as a very hard task. "I think Trina's coming down from College to join us."

"Here." Cat offered, closing the clasp around the Latina's wrist. "How is Trina?"

"She's enjoying the social life of Univerity. Not so much the classes though." Tori shrugged. Her older sister had chosen to study at the University of Sanfasisco so that she was close to home but far enough to seem independent. She'd originally gone there in the hopes to Major in 'Performing Arts & Social Justice' but after they, obviously, rejected her, she was distraught. Somehow, she managed to get into their 'Spanish Studies' Major (mainly because she could speak the language and already know a lot about the culture due to her Latina roots). She thought that if she took this class she could prove to the school that she was good enough to go into their Performing Arts major when she reapplied in her second year, but everyone else knew that would never happen. Either way, she was doing quite well in her class, despite it not being what she wanted.

"So have you and Robbie decided where we're going for your birthday next weekend?" Jade asked. The two had decided to share the celebration for their birthdays as they were so close, but they were having trouble working out what to do

"I think we've decided on going to Universal Studios Hollywood because there are Roller Coasters like I wanted but also enough to do on foot." She informed Jade. "I think Robbie really wants to go to the Harry Potter Studios part and I think the Studio Tour itself will be cool."

"Ooh, I love Harry Potter!" Cat giggled. "Jade and I have watched all the movies like 100 times. She's definitely a Slytherin and I'm a Hufflepuff."

"Jade, a Slytherin? I'd have never guessed." Tori said sarcastically.

"Really? I thought it was pretty obvious." Cat shrugged, missing the sarcasm. She rarely missed this kind of stuff anymore, but sometimes it still slipped by her.

"Heya Girls." Andre greeted, walking over to them. "Happy Birthday Babe." He said to Tori, pulling his girlfriend into a hug.

"Awe." Cat cooed.

"Let's go before this gets awkward." Jade encouraged suddenly, laying her arm over Cat's shoulders and guiding her away so that they could walk down the hallway together.

"You really don't like PDA do you?" Cat asked.

"I don't mind it when it's between me and you." She shrugged.

"You 'don't mind'?" Cat raised an eyebrow.

"Fine, I'm rather partial to it," Jade smirked, leaning over to place her lips on Cat's forehead.

"That's good, 'cause I am too." Cat winked, taking Jade's hand in her own. No matter how long they'd been dating or how often they flirted they'd never get sick of each other's ways.


	49. Chapter 49

The day of Tori and Robbie's part, the following weekend.

Jade POV

I'll never get used to waking up with Cat in my arms. The feeling of her back pushed up against my chest as my hand rested under her shirt, around my middle, on her warm and soft skin. In the darkness, our cuddles felt like a little touch of heaven, warm, together, cosy. I often wish I could extend the night just so I could stay close to her for longer, with her safe in my embrace.

Before Cat came into my life, I would've never let another close to me like this, but she just had such a great effect on me. I've never known a person to always have the right motivations, even when she's wrong. When we were just friends, I wasn't around her enough to let her personality fully influence me. But this relationship was so much different than our friendship and so, so much better. I truly loved her unconditionally. That meant I would defend her with my life even if the odds were insurmountable. It meant I would comfort her in the difficult and painful times and also meant I would celebrate with her when times were good. It meant I would never betray her, never give up on her. It meant that even though life may test me sometimes, I am hers into eternity and I would never abandon her. I could never in a 100 years leave her by choice. And even if I was forced to, I'd still put up one hell of a fight to stop it.

As I lay here, curled around the love of my life, I know that do have to get up now. And, of course, this isn't a proper departure (she's actually coming with me) I still don't want to leave her side. Today is the day we're meeting up with everyone to celebrate Tori and Robbie's birthday, so, unfortunately, we have to get up. The question now is how to wake Cat. But I do have the perfect answer to that and it's my favourite way to wake her up. I'm not going to chuck water on her (again) or set off an alarm, it's going to be much better than that.

"Cat," I whisper into her ear, which was right next to my head, due to our position. She didn't react, so I repeated it in an equally hushed tone, moving my hand slowly from where it was rested just above the baby-bump and below her breasts. The contact was light, the pads of my fingers only skimming her soft skin as I moved my hand, resulting in a shiver from her comatose body. Slowly, I moved my hand further up towards the even more sensitive skin, my fingers still dancing lightly across her frame.

"Mhmm." She moans her mind at the beginning of its journey to consciousness.

"Good morning beautiful," I reply, stopping my ascent at the bottom of her breasts, but allowing my fingers to continue to move in a circular motion around them.

"Mhmm." She murmurs again. "M..morining." She coos, waking up and shuffling her body further back into my own.

"Do you like that?" I ask, slowly snaking my hand further, my thumb now hovering lightly over her nipple.

"So much." Cat purrs to me. She is definitely awake now. For a brief moment, she shuffles away, before turning herself in a position to properly face me, my hand still far up her shirt. "Do you like this?" She asked, leaning her head forward on the pillow we share, her lips capturing my own.

"How could I not?" I flirt back after we brake apart.

"I like when you wake me up like this." She tells me, her hand now rested on my hip, her thumb pulling on the band of my pyjama pants. My muscles flinch under her touch as her thumb slid further down, hooking the band of my underwear with it.

"I like how you react to it." I smile, leaning in for another kiss when-

_"BRRRRRRRING."_

"My phone." Cat sighs, rolling back over and grabbing the pear-shaped phone from the bedside table behind her. After sliding her finger across the screen to answer she presses the 'speaker' button for me to hear also. "Hello?" She says into it, the irritation clear in her voice. I completely agree with that expression as I am personally very annoyed with this caller. Although we need to get up anyway, I was rather enjoying that and do not wish to be interrupted.

_"Hey." _Tori's voice replies and I immediately groan. Not because it's her, well kinda, just because it isn't some telemarketer that we can just ignore and get back to what we were doing.

"What'd you want Tori?" I speak up.

_"Did I wake you?" _Tori asks. _"Because that was the point."_

"No, you interrupted us," I grumble. "And why you intentionally want to wake us."

_"Interrupted? What could- Oh, nevermind I don't want to know." _I can practically hear her blushing as she realised. I can't help but smirk to Cat, who also has a slight red hue to her cheeks, playfully hitting me on the arm. _"...and I wanted to wake you up to make sure you aren't late."_

"We're never late." Cat replies. "Why would we be today?"

_"Well, apparently you had other plans this morning," _Tori tells us. _"I'm just really excited and I can't wait to show you my arm without a cast." _She squealed into the phone.

"You do realise we've seen it without one before you got it off yesterday? Like for the first 2 and a half years we've known you." I remind her.

_"Just don't be late!" _Tori quips back, purposefully ignoring my words, before ending the call.

"You don't understand how much of my brain is telling me to ignore that and continue what we were doing." I sigh to Cat. "But we do need to get up."

"We'll just finish this later." She winks at me, pulling herself up off of the bed.

* * *

No POV

"I don't like this," Jade said as she and Cat got into their car an hour later, about to drive over to Tori's house to pick her up for the day.

"Wait, please don't tell me you don't like going in cars again." Cat gulped, looking over to Jade from the driver's seat.

"I never like cars, but I can still put up with being in them." Jade dismissed.

"Then what's wrong?" Cat asked.

"It's just... me, you and Tori in a car together again," Jade replied, looking down as she spoke, shuddering involuntarily.

"Nothing's going to happen Jadey," Cat promised, leaning across to place a comforting hand on Jade's leg. "Driving with Tori in the car will be no different then it is without her."

"I guess," Jade mumbled.

"I promise it will be okay," Cat repeated, turning on the car ignition.

"I really need to get over this..." Jade sighed randomly.

"No, you don't." Cat replied as she pulled the car into drive. "You don't need to rush to this. If you do, you will never fully heal."

"Are you not getting sick of having to drive me everywhere?" Jade asked.

"Not at all." Cat shrugged. "I'd do anything for you Jadey, driving is nothing."

"I love you so much." Jade smiled at her.

"That's good 'cause I love you too." Cat smiled back, making sure to keep most of her focus on the road still.


	50. Chapter 50

After picking up Tori from her house, they met the boys at the entrance to Univeral Studios Hollywood (which had been Robbie and Tori's compromise between a theme park and a place for Robbie to nerd out). Next, the teens walked through the entrance together and headed straight towards the Harry Potter section of the park. This was the perfect place as it had roller coasters for more thrill-seeking entertainment, but also enough on the ground to also pass the time.

The first thing they did when they reached the Diagon Alley replica at the entrance, each of the teens brought a Hogwarts Robe, appropriate to their house. The main reason for this purchase was to get fully immersed into the Harry Potter scenery, but a part of it was because of Cat. By now, she was pretty comfortable with her baby bump, but she couldn't help but feel unconscious of it sometimes. Everywhere she went, there were unimpressed eyes on her, mainly from the judgments of the older generation, but the long dark robes seemed to cover her enough to have the day out without stranger's critiques. On top of this, it was the only part of any 'dress up' Jade was will to do, as it was a black outfit. Thus, they donned the robes of their Hogwarts Houses, which had been previously dictated by a quick Pottermore Quiz, though they all already knew what house they would get. Cat and Andre were both Hufflepuffs, Tori and Beck were Gryffindors, Robbie was a Ravenclaw, and Jade was obviously a Slytherin. As they left the shop together in their newly acquired garments, ready to head towards the first ride, they certainly did look the part.

"Did you know that we'd all technically go to Ilvermony?" Robbie spoke up as they walked through the crowds of people also wandering through the mythical street. "That's the American Wizarding school."

"'Technically' doesn't fit when we would need to have magical powers to get into said imaginary school." Jade reminded.

"There's an American school?" Cat asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, it's mentioned in the 'Fantastic Beasts' movies, not the original series." Robbie shrugged.

"Wait, there are more movies?" Cat beamed, wide-eyed.

"Yeah, they've just started a whole new chapter, it's set in the past though," Robbie told her.

"We have to watch them, Jade!" Cat squealed.

"Oh great."

"But you like Harry Potter." Cat reminded her. "I remember you even had a slight crush on young Tom Riddle when we were younger."

"Only Jade would have a crush on Voldemort." Tori joked.

"I like them because people always die and there are a lot of fights." Jade shrugged, trying to hold back the blush that was threatening to creep up on her. "Do people die in Fantastic Beasts?"

"Yepperoni," Robbie replied dorkily.

"Fine, I'll watch it with you then Cat," Jade told her. "And don't say that again Robbie."

"Yay!" Cat beamed, jumping u and hugging Jade. She loved watching movies with her girlfriend as it always led to cuddling and then falling asleep in Jade's arms, and they were definitely running out of movies to watch. She also knew that Jade would have watched Fantastic Beasts with her anyway, but was just acting disheartened for her reputation sake.

* * *

As the teens walked further through the fake streets, they went into more of the shops, looking at the interactable attractions to properly immerse themselves in the magical universe. They queued up at Ollivander's so be 'matched with their wands' and stopped by a vendor to buy and drink some Butterbeer. After which, they headed up towards the Hogwarts Castle to explore the rooms within it. Luckily, with it being a random Saturday in February, the halls weren't overly crowded and the lines weren't too long. The inside of the castle rooms were quite dark and mysterious, which Jade personally loved, with over-head speakers projecting somewhat menacing speeches or general movie quotes. Objects recognizable from the series that they saw along the way included: the Mirror of Erised, the Hogwarts House Jewels, the sorting hat, and talking portraits, which feature the founders of Hogwarts. And they also encountered replicas of the rooms of Hogwarts castle, including: the Headmaster's office, the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom and the Gryffindor common room.

At the top of the castle was the 'Harry Potter And The Forbidden Journey' which was no quite a roller coaster, but rather a scenic dark ride which combines real sets and animatronics with segments that use wrap-around projection screens. Despite it not being a real coaster, there were still: drops, spin-arounds, twists and turns along with a rather low safety bar so Cat knew it was best for her not to ride. Therefore, she just waited with everyone's bags until they got off of the ride.

Next, they walked back out of the castle to watch the stage performances before heading to the 2nd ride of the day: 'The Flight OF the Hippogriff'. This was a full-on roller coaster, one with a track that went up steeply to a high point and then dropped precipitously into a hair-raising dive, the speed from which took the fully loaded cars around various twists and turns before coming to a halt.

Cat obviously didn't go on the ride, but this time Robbie opted to join her. The previous ride had been enough to send a whole swarm of nervous butterflies into his stomach, so he thought it would be best to opt out this time. Therefore, while Jade, Beck, Andre and Tori were queuing up, Cat and Robbie decided to go and explore the park a little more. This just resulted in Robbie having to drag Cat away from 'Honeydukes' with what he thought was 'more than enough candy' when the others eventually got off of the swooping machinery.

"How was it?" Cat asked as she and Robbie greeted the others while they stumbled and started walking out, disorientated by the fast-paced movements they'd just left.

"Awesome!" Tori screamed, making the people who surrounded her jump.

"Woah, calm down," Jade told her.

"It was though," Andre added.

"Yeah, I guess." Jade shrugged. "What did you two get up to?" She asked Cat and Robbie.

"I brought candy!" Cat giggled, shoving her bag forward. "It was really expensive though." She frowned.

"Everything here is quite expensive." Beck reasoned.

"Speaking of expensive things, I'm hungry," Andre spoke up. "There's gotta be somewhere to eat around here."

And thus the teens headed to the 'Three Broomsticks' where they were greeted by a menu of stereotypically British meals, such as Shepard's Pie, Fish and Chips, and Cornish Pasties. The atmosphere was one that could only be described as a medieval-looking cosy pub. Wooden beams laced the room, built in place to look as if they were supporting the roof when in reality there was surely something more modern behind the scenes. Fake fireplaces and other stone accoutrements were also scattered around the largest open-planned pub, standing around the many circular wooden tables. Nearly every table was filled, resulting in hundreds of conversations told in loud voices, all of them competing over each other to be heard. In summary, they sat down and had quite a decent meal each, filled with the group's regular banter and jokes.

Once they finished eating, they left the Harry Potter section of the par kand embarked on the 'Studio Tour' for an hour before leaving to head to Tori's house to finish the rest of the evening. No matter what the teens do, they somehow always end up at Tori's. It was just a convenient place, and her parents were seemingly never around to interrupt them. Therefore, after a short drive, that's where they ended up.

"Wait, your sister isn't home is she?" Andre asked as the group walked into Tori's house.

"Nah, she's staying at College this weekend," Tori replied.

"Thank God," Beck muttered under his breath.

"She's not _that _bad." Tori defended.

"Yes, she is." The other 5 teens replied simultaneously.

"Fine, she is," Tori admitted. "I got a karaoke machine and ping-pong table out to pass the time." She told the others, motioning to said items that were stood in her lounge.

"Ping-pong?" Jade asked. "What, do you want to try and apply for the school team again or something?"

"How do you think I got good enough to be on it in the first place." Tori shrugged.

"You got on it through stalking and failed blackmail." Jade pointed out.

"I wouldn't call it 'failed' when it worked." Tori reminded.

"Can we start with karaoke?" Cat asked eagerly, bouncing up and down in her place, interrupting Jade and Tori. "Girls first and then boys?"

"All 3 of us?" Jade asked. "Sure why not?."

"What song?" Tori asked.

"It's gotta be fierce," Cat said, turning on the machine, which was basically a huge speaker where you could plug your phone into, with 4 cordless microphones. "A diva song."

"So: Mariah Carey, Madonna, Diana Ross, Cher Christina Aguilera.." Jade started listing.

"I've got a good one!" Tori said, plugging in her phone and quickly searching for the song. "You two know this song?" She said, showing her phone to the other two girls, who nodded back.

"Oh, that will beat the boys for sure!" Cat giggled.

"I didn't realise it was a competition," Andre spoke up, from where he, Robbie and Beck were sat on the couch, turned to face the girls.

"It can be." Tori shrugged.

"No way," Beck spoke up. "I can't sing, and nor can Robbie."

"Hey!" Robbie interrupted.

"Fine, you can carry a tune." Beck corrected himself.

"Okay, okay it's not a competition," Tori told them as she, Jade and Cat grabbed the mics. "But we're still gonna blow you away."

After setting down her phone at an angle where the lyrics could still be seen in case they forgot them, Tori pressed play and let the music play from the speaker. The song?** 'Ain't No Other Man' by Christina Aguilera.**

**Jade: **_"Heeeeey! Yeah_

**Tori: **_(Do your thang, honey!)_

**Jade: **_I could feel it from the start_

_Couldn't stand to be apart_

**Cat: **_Somethin' 'bout you caught my eye_

_Somethin' moved me deep inside_

**All: **_I don't know what you did boy, but you had it_

**Tori: **_And I've been hooked ever since_

**All: **_Told my mother, my brother, my sister and my friends_

_Told the others, my lovers, both past and present tense_

**Jade: **_That every time I see you, everything starts making sense_

**Tori: **_(Do your thang, honey!)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man can stand up next to you_

_Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do **(**_**Cat:**_(what you do)_

**All: **_You're the kind of guy, a girl finds in a blue moon_

_You got soul, you got class, you got style, you're badass_

_Ain't no other man it's true** (**_**Cat:**_(alright)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man but you_

**Jade: **_Never thought I'd be alright **(**_**Cat and Tori:**_(no, no, no)_

**Jade: **_'Till you came and changed my life **(**_**Cat and Tori:**_(yeah, yeah, yeah)_

**Jade: **_What was cloudy now is clear_ _yeah, yeah_

_You're the light that I need here_

**Cat and Tori: **_You got what I want boy, and I want it_

**Tori: **_So keep on giving it up_

**All: **_So tell your mother, your brother, your sister and your friends_

_Tell the others, your lovers, better not be present tense_

**Cat: **_'Cause I want everyone to know that you are mine_

_And no one else's, woah, oh_

**All: **_Ain't no other man can stand up next to you **(**_**Tori:**_(to you)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do **(**_**Tori:**_(what you do)_

**All: **_You're the kind of guy a girl finds in a blue moon_

**All: **_You got soul, you got class_

**All: **_You got style, you're badass **(**_**Tori:**_(yeah, yeah, yeah)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man it's true_

**All: **_Ain't no other man but you_

**Tori: **_Break it down now!_

**Cat: **_Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other, other_

**Cat and Tori: **_Ain't no other, ain't, ain't no other lover_

**Tori: **_Ain't no other, I, I, I need no other_

**Jade: **_Ain't no other man but you_

**Jade**** and ****Tori: **_You are there when I'm a mess_

_You talked me down from every ledge_

_Give me strength, boy, you're the best_

**Cat: **_You're the only one who's ever passed every test_

**All: **_Ain't no other man can stand up next to you **(**_**Tori:**_(next to you)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do_

_You're the kind of guy a girl finds in a blue moon_

_You got soul, you got class_

**All: **_You got style, you're badass **(**_**Tori:**_(oh yeah)_

_Ain't no other man it's true_

_Ain't no other man but you_

**Cat: **_And now I'm telling you, so ain't no other man but you_

**Jade and Tori: **_Ain't no other man can stand up next to you_

_Ain't no other man on the planet does what you do **(**_**Cat:**_(what you do)_

**Jade and Tori: **_You're the kind of guy a girl finds in a blue moon **(**_**Cat:**_(baby, baby, baby, no)_

**All: **_You got soul, you got class_

_You got style, you're badass _**_ (_Cat:**_(don't you know?)_

**All: **_Ain't no other man it's true_

_Ain't no other man but you"_

"_fweet_" Beck wolf-whistled as he, Robbie and Andre broke into applause. That is one Hell of a hard song to sing, but the girls still managed to master it. Jade and Cat especially, they're just such power-houses.

"That was amazing!" Andre added, pulling his girlfriend in for a kiss.

"Well, there ain't no other man but you." Tori smiled back to him, using the song name in her reply.

"Jade's the only man for me." Cat giggled.

"Um... thanks?" Jade said, shaking her head at Cat's antics.

"You're welcome!" Cat giggled, jumping up and down in her place again.

"You're really hyper today," Jade observed. "How much candy did you eat?"

"Only like half the bag." Cat shrugged as if it were nothing.

"You're totally gonna puke tonight." She muttered.

"Phooie." She sighed. "You're right."

"Not that this conversation isn't riveting-" Beck interrupted, speaking into the mic so that his voice echoed around the room. "-I believe it's our turn to sing."

Jade and Cat turned their focus away from each other and realised that the three boys had made their way over to the raised section of the lounge, which was acting as a makeshift stage, and were in the middle of choosing their song. "Go on then." Jade encouraged.

"Got a song!" Andre announced, selecting one on his phone and showing it to the other two guys. "Sound good?"

"That's a hard song though," Beck told him

"I don't matter if it sounds bad, it's a hype song." Andre shrugged. "And besides, you and Robbie can just sing backing."

"I'm up for that," Robbie told him.

"Alright, fine." Beck sighed

**Song: 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen.**

**Andre: **_"Tonight I'm gonna have myself a real good time_

_I feel alive and the world I'll turn it inside out, yeah!_

_And floating around in ecstasy_

**Robbie and Beck: **_So don't stop me now. Don't stop me-_

**All: **_'Cause I'm having a good time, having a good time_

**Andre: **_I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky_

_Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity_

_I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva_

_I'm gonna go go go_

_There's no stopping me_

_I'm burning through the sky, yeah!_

_Two hundred degrees_

_That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit_

_I'm travelling at the speed of light_

**All: **_I wanna make a supersonic man out of you_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now_

**Andre: **_I'm having such a good time_

_I'm having a ball_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now_

**Andre: **_If you wanna have a good time, just give me a call_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now _**(Andre:**_('cause I'm having a good time)_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now_ **(Andre:**_(yes, I'm having a good time)_

_**Andre: **__I don't want to stop at all_

_**Andre: **__Yes, I'm a rocket ship on my way to Mars_

_On a collision course_

_I am a satellite, I'm out of control_

_I am a sex machine ready to reload_

_Like an atom bomb about to_

**All: **_Oh oh oh oh oh explode_

_**Andre: **__I'm burning through the sky, yeah!_

_Two hundred degrees_

_That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit_

_I'm travelling at the speed of light_

**All: **_I wanna make a supersonic woman of you_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me, don't stop me_

_Don't stop me,_ **(Andre: **_hey, hey, hey!_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me don't stop me_

_Ooh ooh ooh __**(**_**Andre:**_(I like it)_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me, don't stop me_

**Andre: **_Have a good time, good time_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me, don't stop me ah_

**Andre: **_Oh yeah!_

**Robbie: **_Alright_

* * *

It was at this point that all three boys broke into an air-guitar pose, shaking the 'guitar' as they played as if bending the pitch.

* * *

**Andre: **_I'm burning through the sky, yeah!_

_Two hundred degrees_

_That's why they call me Mister Fahrenheit_

_I'm travelling at the speed of light_

**All: **_I wanna make a supersonic man out of you_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now,_

**Andre: **_I'm having such a good time_

_I'm having a ball,_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now_

**Andre: **_If you wanna have a good time **(**_**Robbie**_(wooh)_

_Just give me a call **(**_**Beck:**_(alright)_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now __**(**_**Andre:**_('cause I'm having a good time)_

**Robbie and Beck: **_Don't stop me now __**(**_**Andre:**_(yes, I'm having a good time)_

**All:**_I don't want to stop at all_

**All:** _La da da da daah_

_Da da da haa_

_Ha da da ha ha haaa_

_Ha da daa ha da da aaa_

_Ooh ooh ooh"_

"WHOOOOH!" The girls cheered as the song faded away, applauding the boys, who were currently laughing their asses off at each other. Although Andre sang the most, Beck and Robbie had been adding various air instruments while dancing around to set the scene and react appropriately to such a strong and intense song. They were all clearly mucking about with it, but that song wasn't meant to be professional and was practically written for the purpose of having fun.

"That was great!" Tori added as her, Jade and Cat's applause grew quieter.

"Thanks, Babe." Andre winked at her. "You got anything to eat, I'm hungry."

"We ate a full meal like 2 hours ago," Tori replied.

"I'm hungry too," Cat spoke up. "But I guess that's normal for me right now." She added, subconsciously placing a hand on her 30-week pregnant belly.

"I'll order take-out pizza." Jade offered, pulling out her pear-phone. "How about I get 4 between us and we'll take pieces each."

"Sounds like a plan," Andre spoke up, rubbing his hands together.

So, while they waited for their food to arrive, the teens turned back to the Karaoke, starting with Cat and Jade breaking into full-on Broadway by singing _'Take Me Or Leave Me' From Rent The Musical._ **(A/N If you haven't heard Ariana and Liz singing this... what rock have you been living under? Go watch all of there covers of this song right now!) **Next, Tori and Andre did a cover of_ 'Dusk Till Dawn' by Zayn Malik ft Sia_, followed by the whole group jumping up and singing along to _'5 Fingers To The Face'_ (without the microphones as there weren't enough for them all), as well as a list of other solos, duets, and group songs.


	51. Chapter 51

"I gotta pee, I gotta pee, I gotta pee!" Cat announced, jumping off of the blow-up bed the next morning, waking the rest of the room with her chant.

"T...thanks for telling us?" Andre said groggily.

"You're welcome!" Cat called back as she very quickly walked out of the room.

"Sometimes, I can't tell if her comebacks are from naivety or sass." Tori pondered.

"I'm pretty sure it's both," Jade told them. "But either way, there's a baby currently kicking her bladder and us waking up a little early is nothing in comparison to that."

"But it's a Sunday." Robbie groaned, pulling his blanket up over his head.

In response, Jade reached behind her head and threw it directly towards Robbie's face, making him bolt upright in shock. "How would you like it if I kicked you in the bladder?" Jade offered.

"N...nope," Robbie said sheepishly.

"It's really sweet how protective you are over Cat," Tori commented.

"I've gotta be." Jade shrugged.

"I'm back!" Cat said, walking back into the room. "Sorry for waking you all up."

"It's alright Lil'Red," Andre told her.

"I'll make it up to you," Cat promised. "Tori, you got the ingredients to make pancakes?"

"Oh my gosh, please make pancakes! Yours are the best!" Tori gushed. "And I'm pretty sure I've got everything in the cupboards."

"Yay!" Cat giggled.

"I didn't realise Cat could cook," Beck spoke up.

"She's actually really good at it," Jade told him. "She cooks for both of us every night."

"Then why are we always going out to eat or ordering food?" Andre asked.

"How about I cook for everyone at my baby shower?" Cat offered, walking over to Tori's kitchen, opening the cupboards to look for ingredients.

"God, I almost forgot about that," Tori spoke up. "It's in 2 weeks right?"

"How did you forget?" Beck asked. "Aren't you the one who suggested it."

"But that was ages ago." Tori defended.

"It was last week," Andre told her.

"Hey, you're meant to be on my side," Tori reminded him.

"Tori, I can't find the flour," Cat spoke up.

"Here, I'll show you." The half-Latina replied, standing up and walking away.

"_Ding!" _Andre's phone suddenly buzzed. And after picking up the device, there was an expression of confusion on his face. "Jade, why did you message-"

"Shh." She shushed him, hoping that no one heard. Luckily, the others were focused on Tori and Cat. "Just read it."

"Okay?" Andre replied quizzically, skimming his eyes over the received text. "Sure, I'll meet you in music after school tomorrow. Why didn't you just ask verbally?"

"'Cause I was trying to be secretive." Jade sighed, facepalming at how conspicuous he was being.

"Why though?" He asked.

"I'll tell you when you get there, as apparently, you can't keep a secret," Jade told him.

* * *

Which brings us to the following day, a Monday. Jade had messaged Tori beforehand to distract Cat, leaving Andre and Jade with a few hours to kill in the Hollywood Arts music rooms. Andre still had no clue why he was there and why Jade needed him, but he didn't really mind because anything to do with music couldn't be bad.

"So." He began as he walked into the room, where Jade already was. "What'd you need my left with Jade?" He asked.

"Remember when I helped you to write that song?" Jade started. Andre automatically tensed up, remembering the fiasco that was last time they worked together in that music room. The strange feelings he felt. The song they wrote, that he scrapped and wrote a new one- for her. "When I jade gets crushed sang that chorus that went '_There is no upper hand, __I'm giving you mine' _?" **(A/N This refers to the episode 'J****ade Gets Crushed' from Season 2).**

"Y...yeah?" Andre stuttered.

"I know you didn't end up using it, but I wondered if you still had the song file somewhere," Jade asked.

"I think I do," Andre told her, pulling his laptop out of his bag and turning it on. While they waited for it to load up, Andre asked another question. "Why'd you want it?"

"I wanted to write Cat a song, to perform at the Baby Shower," Jade told him. "I was trying to write lyrics this weekend when that song came back into my head."

"Oh alright," Andre told her. "It was a good chorus, too bad I came up with something else that didn't fit with it."

"Maybe it was meant to be so that I could steal it for this," Jade shrugged.

"Do you want me to sing it with you?" Andre asked.

"I was hoping so," Jade told him. "Plus, you'd be better at playing it on piano then I would. I mean I'm not bad, but I might get all flustered and forget it or something."

"Jade West getting stage fright?" Andre joked. "I never thought I'd see the day."

"I guess Cat just has that effect on me." Jade smiled, looking away.

"And now you're blushing?" He asked. "Who are you and what have you done with Jade?"

"Oh shut it," Jade said, slapping him playfully on the arm. It's not well known that Jade and Andre actually get on quite well with each other. In reality, they were pretty good friends, but they just didn't get the chance to hang out much. Once Tori joined and Jade developed a hatred for her, Andre and Jade began to drift apart, but they could still act just as friendly towards each other as before.

"There it is," Andre announced, pointing to the file icon on his laptop screen. Next, he grabbed a wire from the music mixing desk and plugged it into his laptop, playing the short section of song aloud:

_"__There is no upper hand_

_I'm giving you mine_

_It doesn't have to end up wasting your time_

_There's things that I could say_

_But hear in my way_

_I want to let you know that it's all okay."_

"Let's get started," Jade said, rubbing her hands together, eager to get to work.


	52. Chapter 52

2 weeks later

Cat POV

Today is the day of my Baby shower, so Jade and I need to wake up early to be awake in time for Tori to come over, who's helping us set it up. It's not going to be a big deal thing, just the 6 of us from school where we're going to eat, play some games and hang out. Just like normal, but a little more revolved around the baby. I was fine with not having a shower, but Tori is adamant that I have one, and I can't help but be a little excited for it. Anyway, I feel like I should probably get out of bed soon, but I don't want to pull myself out of Jade's arms, and besides, I've set an alarm-.

"BRRRRRING." A shrill noise interrupts me, jangling my nerves and snapping me fully out of my slumber. Jade wakes up at the same time, sticking out her arm to hit the top of the clock, but the noise continues to ring in the background, only slightly fading.

"What is wrong with- oh my god!" Jade says, she's rolled away from me now and is looking at the clock. "That wasn't the alarm. It's the doorbell."

"Oh, crap" My eyes widen as I realise too. In my tired state, I'd hadn't realised the source of the sound. "What's the time?" I ask, pulling myself up off of the bed.

"9 am," Jade says. "That means Tori's at the door."

"Did we sleep through the alarm?" I ask. "It was set for 8."

"I don't think it was set at all," Jade tells me.

The doorbell rings again. "I'M COMING!" I scream, turning to the door.

"Not like that you aren't," Jade calls out to me, standing up off the bed herself. I can see she'd stifling a laugh and I can't tell why until I look at myself in the mirror.

"Oops." I gasp, realising I'm only in my underwear.

"I'll go." She tells me, walking out of the room. It's also worth noting that she was wearing much more than I was- pyjama shorts and a shirt. I can't help but let my eyes linger on her shorts as she leaves. Damn those shorts, they're just so... well short.

"Why am I only in my underwear?" I speak to the empty room, trying to remember the night before. It's not that I'm not used to waking up barely dressed... for _reasons. _But that would only make sense if Jade was the same. "I probably just got hot in my sleep or something." I shrug, grabbing some clothes from my dresser and throwing them on.

No POV, with Jade and Tori

For the third time, the doorbell rang. "I SWEAR TO GOD TORI IF YOU RING THAT THING ONE MORE TIME-!" Jade screamed as she ran down the stairs, reaching the front door and pulling it open. "What the hell was so urgent that you needed to ring that 3 times?" She asked, looking Tori in the eyes.

"This was getting heavy." Tori shrugged, nodding to the cakebox balanced on her left hand and very large paper-bag in the right.

"Then you should have just put it down," Jade grumbled, somewhat reluctantly inviting Tori in.

"Where's Cat?" Tori asked.

"Why? Am I not good enough for you?" Jade shot back.

"You really aren't a morning person," Tori replied, walking over to the kitchen and placing down the cake-box.

"No, and she's upstairs putting some clothes on," Jade told the half-Latina.

"Why would she not have cloth- oh ew." Tori shuddered. "Did I just wake you up?"

"No, I go everywhere in the booty-shorts I sleep in," Jade told her, motioning to her pyjamas.

"You're piecing together an image of your sleeping arrangements that I really don't want in my mind." Tori shuddered again.

"Heya!" Cat interrupted, walking down the stairs to greet Tori. Her pace was rather slow, due to her 7-month pregnant body not being too nimble, but at least she was wearing a shirt and leggings now.

"Hi Cat," Tori replied. "You ready to start this day?"

"Yup." Cat smiled.

"Good, 'cause I made a list," Tori replied, holding up a neatly-written and very long, list of things to do.

"Of course you did." Jade sighed. "Anyone would think this is your baby shower."

"The best friends of the couple is meant to be the one planning the shower." Tori reminded. "You two are only helping 'cause it's your house and Cat's insisting on cooking a meal for everyone."

"Oh chiz, I forgot about that," Cat muttered. "Stupid baby-brain."

"You still have enough time Cat, don't stress about it," Jade told her.

"Kay, kay. I'm going to start now though." She said, walking over to the cupboards and pulling out an array of pots, pans, bowls and trays.

"Woah!" Tori gasped, looking at the restaurant-sized deep metal soup pot. "Why do you even have that?"

"She brought it from her house." Jade shrugged. "It's unnecessarily big."

"Not for what I'm cooking today," Cat told her. "Do you have something I can stand on?" She asked. "I can't reach the pot without a stool." Yes... that's how big this pot was.

"Yeah, there's one in the garage. I'll go get it." Jade offered, walking out of the room

"So what are you making?" Tori asked.

"I wrote it down," Cat said, pointing to an open notebook on the counter.

Tori walked over to the notebook and picking it up and reading it aloud. "_Cold plate, Oxtail ragu with pappardelle pasta; Oxtail Ragu Ravioli; Rigatoni with tomato sauce and Italian sausage; spaghetti with mussels, cherry tomatoes and white grape juice; Tomato Bruschetta._" She read. "You do realise there are 6 of us?"

"Oh my god, is this not enough?" Cat asked, genuine panic on her face.

"What? No. I'm worried we won't finish it all." Tori told her.

"Found it," Jade announced, walking back into the room with a tiny footstool for Cat.

"Do you know how much she'd cooking?" Tori asked Jade.

"Yup." Jade nodded. "Which is why we're setting everything else up and leaving her to it."

"You really don't want any help?" Tori asked.

"Maybe later," Cat started. "But for now, I need the kitchen. So, vamoose."

"We're leaving," Jade told her, guiding Tori out of the room and into the garden, where they planned to set everything up. The garden was nothing fancy, just a fenced off area, half patio and half grass, with a ring of flowers around the edge. It was pretty enough, but Jade and Cat didn't really go outside enough to use it. There was a rarley-use table and chair set with a tabletop parasol on the patio, that could easily be cleaned up to look really nice. "So what's the plan, Tori." She asked.

"To decorated." She replied, placing down the large paper bag that Jade had forgotten Tori was carrying. "This is filled with everything we'll need."

"I'm glad one of us is prepared."

* * *

A few hours later

The garden was finally done, sufficiently decorated with every bay-related item known to man: from banners to games, the garden was filled. The grass had been cut, the patio power-washed, the table and chairs cleaned (which is when Jade had disappeared for half-an-hour to get ready, returning to a very grumpy Tori who had almost spilt bleach over herself).

Inside the house was a different story. Cat was still frantically running around, desperate to finish cooking all the food before the boys arrived in 20 minutes. Her work was far from unorganised though, resulting in a wonderful smell of freshly cooked food that filled the house. A rich aroma of the dishes wafted around and beckoned you. The smell of fresh bread from the hand-made dough, was the first to reach your senses, bringing you to the assortment of foods. Pasta platters doused in tomato sauces, cheese spread atop in copious amounts and the wide assortment of condiments sprinkled in the perfect amounts mingled to produce a taste unlike any other: salty, peppery, cheesy with a whiff of Italian cuisine. Tori and Jade could barely resist the delightful sensations that whipped up inside them, making them want to devour everything before the boys arrived.

"Cat," Jade told her. "You need to go get changed." She said, motioning to how Cat was still in her, now flour and sauce covered, shirt and leggings.

"I've still got one more dish to make." She said, adding sauce to the forth pasta dish, before placing it on the table with the others.

"The cold plate right?" Jade spoke up. "Tori and I can do that one."

"But I- fine, it's not that hard I guess." Cat sighed. "Just put these on the large plate and make it look pretty." She added, hanging Tori the ingredient checklist she had made for herself.

"Good, now go make yourself look pretty," Jade told her.

"Am I not already pretty?" Cat joked.

"Oh, you know what I mean. Go." Jade hurried her away and up the stairs.

"Hey Jade?" Tori asked.

"Yeah?"

"I don't know what half of these ingredients are." She said, handing the list to Jade. "_Fresh mozzarella, seasoned artichoke, salami, olives, sundried tomatoes, peppers, prosciutto, soppressata, parmesan cheese_." She read off.

"Their packages should have the names on them." Jade shrugged. "We'll start with the mozzarella at least." She said, grabbing the packet out of the fridge and placing two spheres of it onto the plate

"Now what?"

"I don't know, let's just go in order. Let's find the artichoke."

"Isn't that a fish?"

"That's an anchovy." Jade shook her head. "Here they are." She grabbed a bowl that Cat had already prepared, taking them out of it and placing it onto the dish. "The salami and other meat-sounding words probably go together," Jade commented.

"Let's work on that then."

* * *

"How do I look?" Cat asked 20 minutes later, walking down the stairs in a form-fitting pink maternity dress.

"Stunning." Jade flirted, stood in the kitchen cleaning up the counter-tops. She liked when Cat wore things that showed off her bump because it just reminded her of their future together, something she was so looking forward to.

"How did the cold plate go?" Cat asked, walking over to Jade and Tori.

"You tell us," Tori said, motioning to the large filled plate on the middle of the table.

"Yeah, that looks about right," Cat shrugged.

"I'm proud of it," Tori mumbled, down heartened at Cat's reaction, or lack of.

"Let's get the dishes out of the oven," Cat told them, putting on the oven-gloves and carefully pulling out the 4 pasta dishes, that were precariously balanced on top of each other to keep warm. Next, she placed them on the table along with the cold dish and Bruschetta (bread). After making sure everything looked right and in its place, she stepped back, looking at her work with pride. "That's the first time I've done that on my own." She sighed.

"Wait really?" Tori asked. "I thought you'd done it 100 times."

"No." Cat shook her head. "I've made them all individually before, but normally I'm with my Mom and Nonna when cooking it all..." She sighed. "I do kinda wish they were here for all of this."

"Have you tried contacting your Nonna through all of this?" Tori asked. "You never know, she might react differently to your parents."

"There's no use." Cat mumbled, wiping away the tears that threatened to prick her eyes. "She moved to Venice a year ago **(A/N In this story it's the Venice in Italy, not California) **to retired there. Even if she was supportive, I couldn't take her away from the place she loved to come here for me."

"I'm really sorry-" Tori started.

"Don't be." Cat shook her head. "It's not your fault... I'm lucky to have my friends here with me. That's how I should look at things."

"And we'll never leave." Jade reminded her, taking Cat's smaller hand in her own. "I promise."

"_DING!_" The doorbell rang.

"That thing just loved ruining our moments doesn't it." Cat joked.

"Phones and alarms too," Jade added.

"I'm gonna go answer that," Tori spoke up, walking away towards the door, and then opening it. "Heya Andre." She greeted.

"Hey- something smells great." He interrupted himself as the rich aroma of food reached him.

"Wait till you see it," Tori replied, inviting him in. "Cat's spent ages on it."

"Heya girls." Andre greeted, walking over to where Jade and Cat were stood, holding out a somewhat messily wrapped present. "It doesn't look great, but I tried." He said, running his hand through his dreadlocks.

"It's alright, it looks fine." Cat giggled, pulling Andre in for a quick hug before taking the gift and placing it on the table, next to where Tori had put hers earlier that day.

"DAMN!" Andre announced, looking at the food over Cat's shoulder. "You made all that?!"

"Yep." Cat said. "I hope you like pasta, 'cause that's all I made."

"Beck and Robbie better walk through that door in the next 5 seconds so we can start eating this." Andre stated, rubbing his hands together eagerly.

"_DING!_" The doorbell rang again.

"That's convenient," Jade commented, walking to the door and opening it.

"Hi." Beck greeted, walking through the door, followed by Robbie, both holding small presents in their hands.

"YES!" Andre announced, with an empty plate already in his hand. "Can I dig in now?" He asked.

"Go ahead," Cat told him, shaking her head to himself at his antics while she greeted Beck and Robbie.

"Thank God!" Tori announced, joining her boyfriend in filling up a plate for herself.

"Wait, you made all that?" Robbie asked.

"Uhuh." Cat nodded, trying to hold back a laugh while her friends started to dig in. "I guess we should try and get some before it's all gone."

"This is great!" Andre announced as he took his first bite of the Ravioli, the tomato flavour exploding in his mouth, mixing around with the seasonings as the pasta shell practically melted on his tongue. The others around him nodded in agreement at this, none of them able to open their mouth due to them being full.

"Thank you," Cat said, blushing under the attention as she picked up a piece of Tomato Bruschetta.

"To Cat," Beck announced, raising his plate and toasting it forward as if it were a glass of drink.

"To Cat." The others joined, the following suit.


	53. Chapter 53

A while later, the plates were cleared and everyone was sufficiently full to the point that eating anything else would surely make them explode. It was at this point that Tori revealed the cake she'd brought. It was a professionally decorated 2 tier cake, covered in light pink fondant icing with large darker pink fondant bow rested atop. There was also a circle of dark-pink icing running between where the two layers met. No matter how excited Cat was about the red-velvet filling, it was decided they would cut it open after a few hours, to let their stomachs settle.

And thus, the group headed outside to the newly decorated garden. Tori had set up loads of games for them to play, something that would be funny and pass the time. Some required props and such, but others were just talking based. "So what's the first game, Tori?" Beck asked as she led them over to the outdoor table.

"In this bag-" She began, holding up a very tiny bag. "-is a picture of each of us as babies."

"I refuse to believe you found a picture of me." Jade chuckled to herself.

"Oh but yet I did," Tori replied. "Anyway, when I pull out your picture, you have to tell an embarrassing story of yourself when you were a child."

"Wait, how is this fun?"

"It will be when you hear each other's stories," Tori said, reaching her hand into the bag and pulling out the first picture and placing it on the table. "We're meant to guess who it is, but that's a little obvious." She pointed out.

"Yeah, it's me," Andre said, looking at the picture of himself as a baby, sat upright wearing nothing but a diaper. "You couldn't have got one of me in more clothes?" He asked as the others 'awed' at him.

"There was one of you in the bath, so count yourself lucky." Tori laughed. "Spill your story."

"Um... okay I guess." Andre shrugged, trying to think of any stories. "My Ma' told me about how on my 3rd birthday I didn't understand how candles worked, and instead of blowing out the flame, I lent forward and bit it." The group suddenly erupted with laughter. "It's not funny." Andre defended. "I burn my mouth for like a month... okay, maybe it is funny."

"Note to self, keep Andre away from fire." Beck chuckled, receiving a friendly wack from Andre on his arm.

"Next person," Tori announced, reaching back into the bag.

"Oh my God, it's me." Cat blushed, looking at the photo. She was so tiny that she looked like a doll, and it didn't help that she was tightly wrapped in a white woollen hat a large white blanket, so you could only see her face and big brown eyes. **(A/N This is inspired by a real photo of Ariana)**

"Once tiny, forever tiny." Jade joked.

"Go on, what's your story," Robbie spoke up.

"Fine." Cat sighed. "When I was around 6, my brother convinced me that cat food was, well, not for the animal, but for me." She started to blush. "Long story short, I ended up throwing up and my brother got into a lot of trouble. I don't even know how he got it 'cause we didn't have a cat."

"Ewwww!" Everyone announced simultaneously.

"I'm adding 'keep Cat away from cat food' onto my list," Beck spoke up.

"Oh, I so hope it's you next." Cat replied.

"Let's see," Tori said, pulling out another photo. "Nope, it's Jade." She added, placing the picture of Jade down.

"Where did you get this?" Jade asked, snatching the photo of toddler her, sat on the floor in an head-to-toe black and orange Halloween outfit, with an orange trick-or-treat pumpkin in front of her. Her hair was cut into a bob with a fringe ending just above her eyes. **(A/N This is also inspired by a real photo of Liz)**

"I have my ways," Tori smirked. "Storytime."

"No."

"Jadey, play the game," Cat spoke up

"Argh, fine!" Jade groaned. "I was probably like 8, I wanted to try and wear makeup because I was bored. After practically ruining my Mom's makeup, God only knows why, but I thought a permanent marker was blush, and I basically looked like a clown for a week."

"I remember that!" Cat announced. "You came to school so embarrassed."

"Embarrassed?" Tori choked out between laughs. "Was she blushing? Oh, wait."

"Just pull your own damn photo out now," Jade grumbled, not enjoying being laughed at by the others.

* * *

After that game was over, and each person was thoroughly embarrassed, Tori led them to the over of the garden, where there were 2 whiteboards and a pile of cards. "On the cards are baby related things, I got my Mom to write them so I don't know what they say-" She cleared up. "We will split into two teams where one person will draw on each team while the others have to guess. Whichever team guesses correctly first, wins that round."

"So... Pictionary?" Jade asked, to which Tori nodded. "You could have just said that."

"So, boys vs girls?" Andre suggested.

"Sounds good." Everyone agreed.

"I'll go first," Beck spoke up, grabbing one whiteboard.

"I'll go for the girls then," Tori suggested, picking up the other. Between the two of them, they picked up the first card, read the prompt, and started to draw.

"Circle?" Robbie spoke up as both Tori and Beck started to draw a circle.

"How is that baby related?" Jade asked.

"Oh it's a head," Cat said, observing the little face on said circle.

"Baby?" Andre suggested, to which Beck shook his head.

Next, Tori drew an upside-down teardrop shape around the circle, with two lines folding inwards. Beck was just staring at his whiteboard, trying to work out how to draw it, before just copying Tori. "A baby in a blanket!" Jade said.

"Yes!" Tori announced. "1 point to the girls."

"I wanna go next," Cat spoke up.

"Okay, Cat vs Robbie," Tori said, and thus Cat and Robbie picked up the second card.

Robbie started off by drawing a rectangle and drawing vertical lines running down it. "Cell?" Beck suggested.

Cat, on the other hand, was drawing a 3D cuboid, with a curved bottom side, rubbing out each line she drew to make it look better. "Cat, this isn't an art challenge," Jade told her, trying to work out what Cat was drawing.

"But I want it to look pretty-"

"A crib!" Andre guessed.

"Yup, 1 all."

* * *

It turned out that Tori had set up a number of games, some baby related and others not, involving:

1)'Name that song', where a song would play and the first person to guess the name and artist won a point.

2)'How many baby bottles can you chug in 30 seconds', were, well, the boys tried to drink as much milk out of the bottles... as the name entails. It ended with all 3 of them spluttering and coughing at the end of the time.

3)'Guessing baby-food favours'. Once again, self-explanatory and very gross.

4)'Who knows Cat best?' which Jade easily won.

5) And Tori's personal favourite, which involved multiple pictures of both Jade and Cat from various points in their lives, where everyone had to guess how old they are:

"Where did you find these photos of me?" Jade asked as the various photos of younger her were laid out on the garden in front of her.

"That's for me to know and you to never find out." Tori smirked.

"I'm honestly concerned about you," Jade said.

"That's hilarious." Beck laughed, picking up a picture of Jade jumping up of her bed, arms spread out and legs up.

"Cat took that when we were 10." Jade mumbled, blushing at the very bright clothing and ugg boots, a staple of the fashion during their childhood.

"Shhh, we're meant to guess your ages," Tori said.

"Damn Cat, that afro rivals Robbie's," Andre commented as he looked at the picture of toddler-aged Cat, her dark brown hair flying out in loose ringlets.

"You should let your hair go curly again," Jade told her. "I miss it from when we were younger."

"We're gonna have to put up with Ellie's hair like that-" Cat reminded. "Do you want both of us to have hair that big?"

"That sounds funny actually," Jade smirked.

"Back to the game guys!" Tori reminded.

"I didn't know Jade could smile," Andre commented, looking at a newer picture where Jade and Cat were sat together, in the middle of laughing. The angle of the camera was at such that neither girl knew they were having their photo taken, and it was slightly blurred showing the taker had purposefully zoomed in on them.

"When did you take this?" Jade asked Tori.

"Sinjin took it." Tori shrugged. "And I can't tell you when, or it will ruin the game."

"Sinjin has this photo?" Cat asked, shuddering.

"Uhuh." Tori nodded. "It's weird how many random photos of people he has on his TheSlap page."

After each photo was appropriately ordered, Robbie suggested they take one more of all of them. Everyone liked this idea as it would be a good way to remember the moment and put in a frame for the nursery. Thus, Cat's phone was now precariously balanced on the table, on a timer to take a photo of all of them. The pear-phones might be well shaped to fit in your hand, but they're terrible at staying still at a good angle to take a photo, without rocking back and forth.

"I love that!" Cat giggled, looking at the photo of them. They were all pulling funny faces and smiling at the camera. Cat and Jade's hands were entwined, along with Andre and Tori, while Beck and Robbie were totally feeling their single.

"That's so cute," Tori commented.

"Is it time for cake yet?" Cat asked, pulling her phone away.

"One more thing," Tori said. "This was Jade's idea actually."

"You know how we don't have a middle name for Ellie yet?" Jade asked.

"Did you come up with one?" Cat asked hopefully. She'd been trying to think of one for a few months, but no name seemed just right for her.

"No, but I asked everyone else too," Jade said, motioning to a board which was laid on the table beside them. There were 10 little pink envelopes attached to this board, with pretty caligraphic gold writing above it. "I haven't read any of them 'cause Tori made the board."

"Can I open them?" Cat asked.

"That is the point," Jade told her. "There should be 2 for each person."

A few moments later, each of the little envelopes was open and the names scattered across the ground.  
-Tori had put: Dawn and Isabella  
-Andre had put: Hope and Andrea **(A/N, for the sake of this story, he never dated a girl called Hope)**  
-Beck had put: Olivia and Rebecca  
-Robbie had put: Jessica and Robin

"Did you all seriously put a version of your own name?" Jade said, looking at the names. "Robbie, Robin. Beck, Rebecca. Andre, Andrea."

"I didn't." Tori defended.

"Yeah, but Dawn is your middle name." Jade interrupted.

"Damn it," Tori said, realising she'd been caught.

"You okay Cat?" Beck spoke up, noticing that Cat had suddenly gone very quiet, looking intensely at one of the pieced of paper.

"Huh?" She replied, snapping herself out of whatever trance she was in. "Yeah, I'm okay."

"Hope?" Jade asked, looking over Cat's shoulder at the name in her hand. "Do you like that one?"

"Elizabeth Hope..." Cat tested the name. "Yeah, I do." She smiled, looking up at Jade. "She is my little hope." She added, placing a hand on her bump. "She's given me something worth fighting for and she brought us together. She's my hope for the future."

"That's so sweet." Jade smiled. "Well done, Andre, you chose the middle name."

"Yes!" Andre announced, fist-bumping the air.

"Cake time?" Tori offered.

"Cake time!" The other's agreed.


	54. Chapter 54

It wasn't long before every morsel of the red-velvet cake was demolished. Well, in reality, they only finished 1 layer of the cake, but it felt as if they'd eaten 3 tonnes of it. Just as the teens sat down for Jade and Cat to open the presents that everyone else had brought, Beck's phone rang.

"Hello?" He said, speaking into the phone of the unknown number. "...Wait...what?" His mouth hung open as he received the news from the caller. "Really?"

"What is it?" Jade asked. She and the others had been looking on at Beck in the utmost confusion.

Shaking himself out of his trance and pulled the phone away from his ear, placing it on speaker. "Yes, really." The caller spoke. "We were very impressed with your audition last week and want to offer you the role."

"T...thank you." Beck spluttered. He had been trying out for rolls for the last few years, all minor parts. Recently though, he'd been going for bigger ones, to really take off his career after leaving school and this one, in particular, was huge. It was the lead in an upcoming high-school based drama Netflix show. This was it. His big break. "Thank you so much."

"We were really impressed by you Beck." the voice chuckled. "Filming begins in June, we'll get in contact with your agent and sort out the logistics."

"I'm looking forward to it," Beck told them. "Thank you."

"It's no trouble Beck." They replied as the call ended.

Silence. For a few moments, no one knew what to do or say. Before- "YAY!" Cat announced, wrapping her arms around the boy. "You got the part Beck."

"I.. I got the part," Beck repeated, still not fully processing the information. "I'm staring in a TV series."

"You're _leading_ in a TV series." Jade corrected. "You're finally becoming a big-league actor."

"To Beck," Cat spoke up, grabbing her glass of water and toasting it forward, just how Beck had done to her earlier that day.

"To Beck." The other's echoed

* * *

After basking in the news for long enough, Beck encouraged everyone to turn the attention back to Cat, which consequently led to the opening of the presents that everyone had brought for Cat and Jade. Beforehand, Cat had asked everyone to not bring anything, but they all told her that that wouldn't happen and they were all going to bring something small.

The first present was from Tori, and it was a neatly decorated box filled to the bring with a load of baby headbands and bows. There was one of every colour of the rainbow and quite a few more shades in between them. There were even a few different sizes for when Ellie grows. "Did you buy the whole shop's worth?" Jade joked.

"Pretty much." Tori shrugged, "They just look so cute,"

"I like this one the most," Jade said, picking up a little black hairband.

"Who'd have guessed it." Cat smiled. "You wouldn't believe how many black baby-grows she found." She shook her head to herself. "And thank you, Tori, this is amazing." She added, pulling Tori in for a quick hug.

"No problem," Tori replied.

"I'm rather proud of mine," Andre said, handing Jade and Cat the less-neat present. "It's not practical like Tori's, but I think you'll like it." Jade and Cat held it between them as they ripped open the paper, revealing a tiny lidded box. Inside the box was a pile of even tinier papers. "I spent the last 2 weeks going around the school, asking everyone to write little notes to you." He explained.

"Oh, Andre this is so thoughtful." Cat beamed, picking up the first one. "'_You're going to be great parents.-Sarah'" _She read out the message from a girl in her music class, before picking up another. "_'Coconut milk is great if your baby has a dairy allergy - Sikowitz' _Of course it's from Sikowitz." She giggled.

"_'But seriously,'_" Jade started reading the writing on the back of it. "_Good luck to the both of you, you have so much potential and I'm so proud.' _Wow, who knew he could be serious?" She stated.

"This is so nice, thank you, Andre," Cat said. "We'll read the rest later or else we'll be here all day."

"Boom. I picked the middle name and got a great present. Look at me go." Andre cheered himself.

Next came Robbie and Beck, who had both brought a baby grow for Ellie. Robbie's was light pink with white writing across it saying: 'Hello, I'm new here'. Beck's was a white one with black writing with the writing 'If you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle'. These both received a laugh from everyone and a promise that Ellie would totally wear them.

"Though, Beck-" Cat began, after whispering something to Jade, who nodded in approval. "-there's a mistake on here," Cat said, pointing to the writing.

"'If you think I'm cute, you should see my uncle'" Beck read out slowly, frowning. "It seems alright to me."

"No, there's definitely a mistake," Cat told him. "The word 'Godfather' is spelt wrong." She said, pointing to 'uncle'."

"G...G...god what now?" He asked, his jaw dropped for the second time.

"Cat and I agreed that I could choose the Godfather and she could choose the Godmother," Jade told him. "Sorry Andre and Robbie, but-"

"It's totally chill." Andre interrupted. "I got to choose the middle name."

"I understand too." Robbie smiled supportively. "That's too much responsibility for me; I'm good with just being 'Uncle Robbie'"

"Thanks, guys." Cat smiled. "So, Beck, do you want-"

"Yes!" Beck cut off. "100 percent yes."

"Great!" Cat beamed. "Though we do still need a Godmother. Hmm." She hummed. "If only I had a female friend to take this role." She said, looking straight at Tori.

"If only," Jade added, joining the joke. "Tori? Do you know anyone? Maybe Trina... okay no I wouldn't even joke about that." She shook her head.

"So what do you say Tor'?" Cat asked, ending the charade.

"Are you seriously asking me?" Tori replied, bouncing slightly in her seat.

"Yes." Jade nodded. "I know, if 2 years ago you told me I'd be asking you to be the Godmother of my first child I would have threw coffee all over you-"

"You did that anyway." Beck reminded.

"_But-" _Jade continued. "I am being serious. Would you be Ellie's Godmother?"

"I'd be honoured." Tori beamed, jumping up and wrapping her arms around both Cat and Jade.

"Good, 'cause you didn't really have a choice," Jade told her after she pulled herself out of the hug.

* * *

Shortly after the news had fully sunken into the soon-to-be Godparents, Andre and Jade announced that they had something written for Cat. Once they'd lead everyone over to the piano in the corner of the room, where Andre sat on the stool and Jade stood behind him, Andre began to play the first few notes of their recently put together song.

**(A/N The melody and chorus are originally from 'Okay' by Michael Corcoran, but I changed the lyrics in the verses and bridge to make more sense.)**

**Jade: **_"There is no upper hand_  
_I'm giving you mine_  
_It doesn't have to end up wasting your time_  
_There's things that I could say_  
_But here in my way_  
_I want to let you know that it's all okay_

**Jade: **_I love your smile  
And even though we've known each other quite a while  
Sometimes I still don't know if I'm right or wrong_  
_But either way I know that everything is worse when you're gone_

**Jade and Andre: **_There is no upper hand_  
_I'm giving you mine_  
_It doesn't have to end up wasting your time_  
_There's things that I could say_  
_But here in my way_  
_I want to let you know that it's all okay_

**Jade: **_So here we are  
We made it here together, oh we've come so far  
Sometimes it's been hard_  
_For both you and me_  
_But we can't let the past keep you down_  
_So let yourself free_

**Jade and Andre:**_There is no upper hand_  
_I'm giving you mine_  
_It doesn't have to end up wasting your time_  
_There's things that I could say_  
_But here in my way_  
_I want to let you know that it's all okay_

**Jade: **_With a mood brighter than the sun  
You're just so perfect to me  
I know that you are the one  
You give me this feeling inside  
Deep in my heart now, it's like I'm dreaming_

**Jade and Andre:**_There is no upper hand_  
_I'm giving you mine_  
_It doesn't have to end up wasting your time_  
_There's things that I could say_  
_But here in my way_  
_I want to let you know that it's all okay_  
_Want to let you know that it's all okay_  
_Want to let you know_  
_That it's all okay."_

Before the last note had even left their mouths, Cat had thrown her arms around Jade, tears of joy flowing down her face and into Jade's shoulder. "Woah, Cat are you okay?" Jade asked as she felt Cat's tears soaking through the material of her shirt.

"They're happy tears." Cat explained, pulling herself away from Jade. "That was just so amazing, and my hormones are all out of wack and... oh Jade I loved it!" She rambled, pulling Jade in for a kiss.

"I'm glad," Jade replied, pulling back from the kiss a few seconds later. In reality, she would have very happily stayed lip-locked with Cat, but she knew any longer would have been uncomfortable for everyone else in the room.

"Thank you too, Andre." Cat smiled over at the boy, wiping away her tears and walking over to him. "Don't worry. I'm not going to kiss you too."

"Really? I'm disappointed." Andre joked, pulling Cat in for a friendly hug, whilst also receiving a playful wack from his girlfriend at the same time. "I'm only joking Tor'." He reminded her.

"I know." Tori laughed. "I trust both of you."

"Can I hear the song again?" Cat asked hopefully.

"I don't see why not." Andre shrugged, walking back over to the piano to play it again.


	55. Chapter 55

A few weeks later was Andre's birthday. Annoyingly for him, it co-insisted with a school day, but coincidently it was also the same day that Cat was officially 8 months pregnant. No matter how positive she was trying to be, she couldn't ignore how uncomfortable everything was becoming for her. The pain from her pelvis, back and general lower-body almost excruciating for her after any movement. Everything was really taking a toll on her small body, especially in the later stages of her pregnancy, but the rest of the gang were being as supportive as possible to try and help her out. And thus, while in Sikowitiz's class, Jade's chair was pulled up right next to Cat's, allowing for the red-head to lean into her side to try and get at least a little bit of comfort on the hard chairs.

"Andre!" Sikowitz announced suddenly, waving his hands about in a frantic-Sikwoitz manner. "Seeings as it is your birthday on this fine morning, you shall choose today's improv acting scene."

"Yes!" Andre said to himself. Choosing the scene was always a little 'treat' that Sikowitz gave everyone for their birthday, and it was an unwritten rule that the birthday-chosen scenes had to be as weird as humanly possible extremely weird.

"A posh-British woman from the 1910s having a conversation with a time-travelling man from the future, where he is trying to describe how a Pear-phone works," Andre said. "But, for a twist, he also barely knows how the phone works, because to him the technology is really old."

"Perfectly weird," Sikowitz announced, rubbing his hands together. "Beck, Jade, to the stage!" He added, picking two students at random.

"But Sikowitz-" Jade started to interrupt, trying to bring attention to how she was keeping Cat upright.

"I'm okay," Cat whispered, pulling herself properly upright in her chair to allow Jade to get up, trying to hide the discomfort in her face as she did so.

"Ready?" Sikwoitz asked at Jade and Beck reached the stage. "Then, begin."

"What is this newfangled device, young Sir?" Jade questioned, donning a British accent as she observed the pear-phone Beck had pulled from his pocket.

"New?" Beck asked, holding out the phone. "This is my great-grandfathers, it's almost 100 years old. This technology is trivial by my standards."

"But 100 years ago was 1812," Jade said slowly.

"Not from where I'm from," Beck replied.

"And besides, this device looks marvellous-" Jade continued, taking the phone and pressing the screen, which turned it on. "Ah!" She reacted. "It's alive."

"It's not 'alive'" Beck said, his tone somewhat condescending. "You just turned it on."

"What does it do?" Jade asked.

"It can answer all of your questions I think." Beck shrugged. "Of course, my phone from 2120 is much faster and does much, much more than that."

"Answer all my questions? That's convenient as I was planning on taking a lengthy boat to America next week, it's a lovely cruise, the world's best. They say it's the newest of machinery and luxurious all the way through, a marvel of works. Though I have worries in the waters and I was hoping to find an answer to if my worries are merely fantastical. Could it answer that question?"

"Is this ship the Titanic by any chance?" Beck asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Why yes? Is it still in use in your time?" Jade asked.

"Far from it." Beck chuckled, deciding to feign ignorance.

"Can you input my question to it?" Jade asked.

"I can try." Beck shrugged, raising the phone and speaking the question directly into it. "Huh, that didn't work." He shrugged, being too used to his much-further updated phone.

"Try being louder," Jade suggested. "Maybe your accent is unclear, your enunciation is dire." She said, picking into his American accent. "Who is your linguist teacher? Because they surely need teaching themselves."

"My enunciate-whatever is what now?" Beck asked.

"Your enunciation is dire," Jade repeated. "You seem to have developed many spoken idiosyncracies."

"Stop with the long words Lady!" Beck said in frustration, still attempting to work the phone. "And this phone is chiz!"

"Don't use that kind of language young-" Jade began to scold before cutting herself off as the classroom door suddenly slammed shut. Her eyes darted to where Cat's chair, which was now empty before Jade completely abandoned the stage and ran out of the door to follow. "Cat!" She called out, easily catching up with the half-waddling Cat. "You okay?"

"I... I need to lie down." Cat whimpered, pain erupting from her lower body.

"You don't think you're in labour do you?" Jade asked in a panic.

"No." Cat shook her head, trying hard to regulate her breaths. "It's just a bad day on my back and pelvis." She added.

"Do you want to go home?" Jade asked.

"How?" Cat replied. "I'm the only one that drives."

"I..." Jade started, temporarily contemplating if she had enough courage to finally get back behind the wheel.

"It's okay, there's a couch in the rec room," Cat told her, seeing the sudden panic behind Jade's eyes. "Help me get there?" She asked.

"Of course," Jade said, wrapping her arm around Cat's frame to support her as they walked to the rec room, laying her down on the couch. "Better?"

"So much." Cat sighed in relief, the pressure off of her. "I need to apologise to Andre from ruining his birthday scene."

"It wasn't a great prompt anyway." Jade shrugged.

"Still-" Cat told her.

"I'm sure he doesn't mind," Jade reassured her. "Just make sure to rest up."

* * *

Jade POV

About an hour later, most of Cat's pain had subsided, and she was stable enough to finish the rest of the school day and drive herself and me home after it all. During that time, I had had an epiphany of sorts. Me not driving had generally been inconvenient, but it had always been manageable, but with Cat getting weaker and less able something needed to change. Especially with times like that day where Cat needed to get home and just couldn't because I couldn't drive her. What if we were out and Cat suddenly went into labour? Then what? Call an ambulance? What if our phones were dead? What if-

"You okay Jade?" Cat called out to me, we were sat on the couch together and apparently, I'd tensed up- or something else that gave away my wandering mind.

"Y...yeah." I sighed.

"What's up?" She asked, seeing past my lie.

"Nothing I..." I contemplated saying my next words before forcing them out of my mouth. "I want to try driving. Like right now."

"Really?" She asked. "Um, well okay. I'll grab the keys-"

"No." I shook my head. "I'm not ready to drive you. I... I could still crash it. I don't want you hurt you. I-" I started to ramble. "I want to try on my own."

"That's okay." Cat smiles at me. "How about I sit outside, on the doorstep, so I'm still there for support but not in the car."

"That sounds good." I nod. I was trying so hard to be brave and stay calm. I needed to do this. I needed to.

Slowly, I walked to the front door, with Cat in tow, and picked up the car keys a from the table. As my hand reached for the front door, I started to shake, but taking a few deep breaths fixed that. When the door opened, Cat threw her arms around me in a comforting hug and perched herself down on the doorstep, leaving me to continue walking on my own. And so I do, down the driveway and towards the car, clicking the eys in my fingers to unlock the door. Again, slowly, I pull open this door and pull myself onto the driver's seat, my legs sliding under the wheel arch.

All the reasons not to do it came flooding in suddenly as if my body chemistry just sent them a blanket invitation. I felt the soft panic that could grow or fade depending on what I did next. It would fade if I backed away, but then I'd have to do it all again another time. Or I could breathe real slow, let the thoughts leak into me and continue anyway.

My eyes briefly dart to Cat, who was still sat on the doorstep, watching me, and I turn on the ignition. The roar of the car beneath me brings back memories, but I shake them off once again. Slowly, ever so slowly, I release the handbrake and let the car roll forward, turning it off of the driveway. My heart pounding. My head spinning. My body was reacting like there was a gorilla about to beat the crap out of me instead of just driving a car. I had to do it. I had to.

* * *

Cat POV

I'm sitting on my doorstep in the warm breeze of a Spring afternoon, yet I'm shaking. I don't know why I'm shaking, maybe it's because I know Jade is. She's just pulled the car into drive and is slowly rolling away down the street. My brain is constantly searching for any sign that she's alright, that she isn't panicking her head off in there. I try narrowing my eyes to get a better view of her inside the car, but she's too far away by now to even see her, let alone see anything about her. My stomach shifts uneasily and I notice that the hands that I am hugging myself with are pinching into my skin. I release my hands but then I can't figure out what to do with them, so instead, they clasp and unclasp each other as if in constant need of touch and reassurance. "She's okay," I tell myself. "She's okay."

It takes a few minutes before her car reappears again, turning back onto the street. I jump off of the step as soon as I see her and then steady myself against the door frame when the sudden movement makes me lightheaded. The car pulls onto the drive and I can see Jade properly. She was crying, or at least she had been. She quickly climbed out of the car, slamming the door behind her, wiping her tears away with her sleeve.

"Jade?" I ask her as she walks closer. "Jade, are you okay?"

"Uhuh." She mumbled, wiping away the last of her tears, her eyes were still slightly red and puffy though. "Just overwhelmed."

"How was it?" I asked, leading her into the house and closing the door behind us.

"N...not terrible." She told me.

"Then why are you crying?" I asked, tilting my head slightly

"It's just... I kept getting flashbacks... It was manageable but hard. So hard." She admitted, tears reforming in her eyes.

"I'm so proud of you," I tell her, wrapping my arms around her.

"I want to try again." She admitted during out hug. "Maybe tomorrow. On my own again, but maybe for longer this time."

"It's totally up to you," I reassure her. "You'll know when you're ready."


	56. Chapter 56

The Next Day

Jade POV

It's as if Cat's body has completely shut down recently like someone flipped a switch in her brain. Most of her pregnancy has been relatively easy, well not easy, but manageable. Of course, she had a lot of morning sickness and she'd taking medicine for low iron, but this is a whole new level. On and off for the last week, she'd been in a load of pain, and it's really dampening her mood. Luckily, today is a Saturday, so she doesn't have to worry about school, but she's taking that to a whole new extreme by refusing to even get out of bed. I promised myself that I'd try to drive again today, and I'm glad I did because I really want to get out of the house. I love Cat, I love her so much, but I can't stand to see her like this.

"Cat?" I call out to her, walking into our bedroom, where she hasn't left all day.

"Yeah?" She mumbles, not even looking up from where she laid, curled up (as best as she could) in the centre of the bed.

"I'm going out," I tell her. "In the car."

"Kay." She replies I can tell she isn't listening.

"I'll be back soon," I tell her, leaning over the bed and planting a kiss on her temple. "Love you."

"Have fun." She says, and I feel my heart sink. She's never not said it back. 'She's not listening' I tell myself, nothing personal. "Bye Cat."

"Bye." She repeats as I walk back out of the room and head downstairs, grabbing the keys again and walking out of the front door. I'm not even paying attention as I start the car, my mind still focused on the sad red-head in my room. I decide that I'm going to go and buy her something. That will give me something to drive for. I hope Cat's okay, I really do.

I've been so lost in my own thoughts that I'm surprised to see how far I've driven. I'm out of my street and into the next one. The best part? I'm not even shaking. Yesterday I could barely see straight due to my convulsions, but I seem okay now. My breath hitches slightly as I fully realise that I'm behind the wheel, but I easily regain it. I'm doing it. I'm driving. I'm doing it!

* * *

Cat POV

I haven't felt like this in ages, since being with Jade in fact. It's like she was the light to guide me out of this dark place. Jade the light; pretty ironic really. When my bi-polar was at its worst, I'd sometimes be like this for days at a time, but I thought I was past this. The whole way through my pregnancy, I've had the nagging feeling that it might come back like the hormones were trying to drag me down, but I always fought back. I always tried so hard. But I can't fight anymore. I just can't. I don't want to get up. I don't want to move at all. It's like this sadness has overcome me, fueled by the pain that wracks my body. I'm constantly shaking from it and it feels like someone has reached into me and has their hands clamped around my pelvis, pulling apart with every ounce of strength they have.

I tried so hard to fight it, that I guess I didn't notice how strong this feeling of sadness had become, and so when it attacked, it came at full force. It's completely destroyed my mental state, to the point where I can't really remember what 'happy' is anymore. Which sucks. It's almost amazing how quickly this struck me at such a force, completely knocking me down. I'm trying to be happy, I really am. But I just can't remember how to. Jade told me earlier to try and think of something happy like... sunshine, I guess. But then what? What does thinking of something 'happy' help with? Is that what's meant to make me feel happy? I –I don't. It… it just sucks.

Jade's gone out. I don't know where. I swear she just told me, but I can't remember. I can't remember a lot recently, 'cause my mind has been elsewhere. I think she's gone for a walk. I hope she comes back soon. I miss her already.

* * *

Jade POV

When I return half an hour later, wielding as much chocolate as I could carry, I was shaking once again. The trip to the store had been okay, but on the way back I wasn't fending so well. Still, I had been in that car for like 20 minutes, so I was rather happy with myself. I hadn't gone very fast, I couldn't make myself go faster, but I'd still driven for 15 minutes. I felt like I needed a few more tries before I am anywhere near ready to drive with Cat in the car as well, I still couldn't shake the feeling that I would hurt her if I drove with her. One day I'd be ready, but for now, I was content with how far I'd come.

As I walk into the house, wiping away any stray tears that unknowingly fell from my eyes, I call out to Cat, telling her I'm home. When I get no reply I'm a little sad, because it tells me she's still curled up in bed. But still, I march up the stairs to clarify my hypothesis. She was. I couldn't help but admit that it hurt to see her like that. I'm no stranger to what she's feeling, it's a sadness so strong that it numbs you. I'd never seen it hit someone like this, this fast I mean, but Cat was just so vulnerable in her state. So much had happened to her recently, and it was all building up inside her one on top of the other. Clearly, this pain was the final thing to make the tower topple.

"Cat?" I speak up, announcing my presence in the room.

"Hi." She mumbles, raising her head only slightly to acknowledge me.

"I brought chocolate," I tell her, placing it on the bed beside her. She smiles weakly at me, looking at the box before her eyes drift back down and she disregards them. "Cat?" I repeat, sitting on the bed beside her. "Can you sit up, please? For me?"

"Fine." She grumbled, pulling herself upright. I could see the pain in her face as she swivels her hips around. It takes her a few seconds, but once she'd sat upright, she leans back against the headboard and looks at me. And I hated what I saw. She looks at me like the fire in her eyes has been dowsed with ice water, the warm brown now almost black. I'm not used to it, it unnerves me. It's like she just crawled inside some invisible shell and no matter how hard I try she's unreachable. She moves her eyes more slowly, like they're heavy, an effort to move. I want to crack my usual jokes but I know she won't laugh. I'm sitting right next to her but she might as well be on the moon. "What is it?" She asks coldly.

"We need to do something," I tell her. "To get you out of bed."

"No thanks." She shakes her head.

"It wasn't a request," I say. "How about we record song for your YouTube channel?" I suggest. "That always cheers you up." Now that she had been consistently posting both original songs and covers on there for a while, Cat had managed to gain nearly 3k subs. I was just waiting for the day that one of her videos goes viral and her channel really takes off. She's way too good for it not to happen.

"I look terrible." She grumbles.

"You look beautiful," I tell her, placing a quick kiss on her forehead. "Please? Just a video of us singing together or something."

"I..." She begins, looking at my pleading eyes. Normally I don't plead, but I make an exception for Cat. "Fine. 1 song."

And, with that, I eagerly helped her out of the bed, grabbed the box of chocolates and led her down the stairs. It was hard to not hear her whimpering in pain with the first few steps, but once she was moving properly she seemed okay. Still, she sat down on the sofa as soon as she reached it, and I handed her the chocolates to open up and start eating.

While she started opening the packaging, I set up my phone on Cat's filming tripod, turning it on to record, and connected my laptop to the Bluetooth speaker to play a song. After aimlessly scrolling through YouTube for about a minute, I decided to click on a 'Broadway Songs' playlist. While the first song of the list played in the background, I started looking through it for something else. Which is when I heard Cat singing along the first song. And then it clicked what the song was: 'She Used to Be Mine' by Sara Bareilles, from the show 'Waitress'. **(A/N I highly suggest listening to this song while reading, to properly set the scene).**

"_It's not simple to say_

_That most days, I don't recognize me_

_That these shoes, and this apron_

_That place, and its patrons_

_Have taken more than I gave them._"

Cat was now sat upright on the couch. eyes closed, letting the words flow through her. I was intending to choose a happy song to lift her mood, but maybe this was better. Hopefully, it would help her to let it all out. So I let the song continue to play, just sitting back and watching her sing.

"_It's not easy to know_

_I'm not anything like I used to be, although it's true_

_I was never attention's sweet centre_

_But I still remember that girl_

_She's imperfect, but she tries_

_She is good, but she lies_

_She is hard on herself_

_She is broken and won't ask for help_

_She is messy, but she's kind_

_She is lonely most of the time_

_She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie_

_She is gone, but she used to be mine_"

Her voice began to shake as she sang. The words just hit so close to home for her, a story of a girl whose life had been completely flipped upside down, changing practically every aspect of her being. Her past was rough, and so was her present, but they were hard in different ways: both containing their own battles. I could tell that Cat was singing straight from the heart, seeing herself in those words, and even I was tearing up a little.

"_And it's not what I asked for_

_Sometimes life just slips in through a back door_

_And carves out a person_

_And makes you believe it's all true_

_And now I've got you_"

Her eyes slowly opened, and she placed a shaky hand on her baby bump as she continued to sing. I didn't really think she was even aware that I was still in the room as she was just so deep in thought. A part of me wondered how she knew all of the words so well, but maybe she'd watched the play enough times to just know them, or maybe she'd been playing the song to herself recently due to the relation. Either way, she was singing it beautifully.

"_You're not what I asked for_

_If I'm honest, I know I would give it all back_

_For a chance to start over_

_And rewrite an ending or two_

_For that girl that I knew_

_Who was reckless just enough_

_Who gets hurt_

_But who learns how to toughen up when she's bruised_

_And gets used by a man who can't love_

_And then she'll get stuck_

_And be scared of the life that's inside her_

_Getting stronger each day_

_'Til it finally reminds her_

_To fight just a little_

_To bring back the fire in her eyes_

_That's been gone, but used to be mine_

_Oh, used to be mine._"

She completely belted this part, each note pitch perfect despite the prominent shake in her voice. Tears were flowing freely down her cheeks and I could feel the same happening to me. It was almost scary how much the words fitted her situation. Cat had always been an absolutely amazing singer, but this layer of emotion somehow made her sound even better. It was just so so beautiful.

"_She is messy, but she's kind_

_She is lonely most of the time_

_She is all of this mixed up and baked in a beautiful pie_

_She is gone, but she used to be mine_."

As her voice faded away with the song, she closed her eyes once again, just letting herself have a moment to herself. At first, I worried the singing had made things worse, but then she opened her eyes again, wiping away the rest of her stray tears, and weakly smiled at me. "I... I really needed that." She admitted.

"It was amazing," I replied, unsure of what else to say, walking over to her and sitting beside her on the couch, my arm wrapped over her shoulder, gently rubbing her arm. I felt Cat mould into my side, her head resting on my collarbone. Her body is so familiar to me - the way it moves, the smell of her perfume, even the sound of her heart beating I know from the quiet moments of our embraces. I can't imagine being without her, I truly can't.

"If only we'd recorded that." She joked, blinking away any tears that continued to try and push themselves over her waterline.

"Wait," I said, jumping back up and walking to where I'd set up the phone. I'd pressed record before choosing a song, and luckily, Cat was just about in the shot of it. "I did," I told her.

"Really?" She asked.

"Yeah," I replied, walking back over to her, showing her the screen. "Are you sure you'd want to post that though?" I asked, sitting back down beside her, draping my arm back over her shoulder and reassuming our previous embrace.

"I... I think so." She replied. It was such a personal moment, so neither of us were sure if posting it to her YouTube was the right decision. But then again, if it helped her to sing it, then maybe sharing it would help even more to alleviate some of that sadness. "I'll wait a while." She decided. "Then I'll see how I feel. For now, I like this." She added, nuzzling further into my side.

"I like this too," I replied. I was so happy that Cat was feeling better now, but who knows how long it would last. She'd been on and off for the past few days and I think it's going to be this way until Ellie is born. Though, I tried not to think about that and just relished the moment, hoping things would stay looking up.


	57. Chapter 57

No POV

No matter how much we often wish against it, the weekend did, unfortunately, end, meaning everyone had to go back to school. Though, Hollywood Arts was such a generally great place that none of the students really ever dreaded going back after their weekend breaks.

"I hate Mondays." Jade groaned, pulling herself out of bed as she hit the alarm beside her bed. Oh yeah, Jade sometimes dreaded going back. Literally, the only reason was that she disliked Mondays. There was no real reason behind this, just didn't like them. "Especially the mornings."

"Why do you start every week like this?" Cat muttered, wiping the sleep from her eyes.

"'Cause normally make me pancakes to cheer me up afterwards," Jade replied meekly.

"Oh," Cat replied, sighing. "To be honest I'm finding it hard to get that mentality today."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"My body still hurts." She admitted, slowly pulling herself up and placing her hands on her lower back.

"You really need to go to the doctor," Jade told her, reaching over and rubbing her hand over Cat's back, massaging her slightly.

"No. I'm scared they will try and make me having the baby early or something," Cat admitted, relaxing against Jade's hands.

"They wouldn't do that unless they thought would kill you to keep her full-term," Jade told her. "And if that's the case then-"

"I can't risk Ellie being premature." Cat interrupted. "My brother was born at 36 weeks and look at him."

"If you get any worse, we're going to the doctors," Jade said stubbornly.

"I'm fine, I swear," Cat replied, standing up off of the bed, ignoring the subtle shake in her legs under the pressure. "Do you want to drive to school today?" She offered.

"No," Jade replied quickly. "I... I'm not ready for that yet."

"Kay-kay." Cat replied. "I'm still proud of you for yesterday, driving yourself around."

"Thanks." Jade smiled weakly. "I... don't feel like trying again today though."

"It's okay, really." Cat smiled back. "You don't have to do anything, I was just asking."

"Do you think you'll be able to drive through?" Jade asked.

"I... I don't think I can today." Cat said honestly, the pain in her lower-back still there. "Can you call Beck to drive us for today or something?"

"Sure." Jade nodded. Inside she felt a pang of guilt. She really did need to get back at driving. Yesterday had been a step forward for her, but she still felt miles away from the end goal. She couldn't even think about driving Cat around without her breath hitching. Jade was just so scared that she would crash again and hurt Cat. She just couldn't do it yet. She was trying. But not yet. For now, luckily, they had Beck who could drive them at least. Jade hated calling on him for help, but there was no other way around it, so she picked up her phone an pressed on his contact while Cat started getting ready for the day.

_"Yello?" _Beck said, answering the phone.

"Hi," Jade replied. "Is there any way you could pick me and Cat up for school today? I hate to ask but-"

_"No stress, I'll be there at 7:30." _He replied. _"Is everything okay?"_

"Thank you," Jade said, sighing in relief that they had a plan. "And yeah, Cat just can't drive today."

_"Is she still in pain?"_ Beck asked.

"Yep," Jade replied briefly.

_"She really needs to go to the doctor."_

"You're telling me."

* * *

With the end of their Senior year approaching, the teens were starting to be set their final projects which would determine their final grades. Because Hollywood Arts was a performing arts school, a large amount of the students GPA was determined through practical assessments. **(A/N Once again, a reminder that I am British, and the American school system confuses the hell out of me, so for the sake of this story I'm going to take aspects of British education for the next few chapters. **

**For example, your final grade in England is determined by an 'end of year', GCSE, or A-level exam which is a long written exam, and sometimes a practical aspect for subjects such as music. Little to no previous classwork is inputted to determine your grade and it comes purely from this exam. However, I know that in America, you are accessed throughout your studies in different smaller exams, homework and class projects. Also, I am completely ignoring SATs here because what the hell are they all about? Long story short, in this story, everyone has a GPA for what they've done, so far, which determines 50% of their grade. The other 50% comes from an April practical project and a May final exam during what I am calling 'finals week', in a few chapters time. I'm sorry if this is confusing but I had to clear that up. Now, continuing with the story.)**

Due to their participation in the class, including the many plays they'd been in, the teens didn't even need to do a final project for Sikowitz and they'd still get an A+ grade. However, they still agreed to partake in it, to see how high they could make their grade per cent go in his class. Therefore, they each had a small part in the upcoming play, which meant they had enough time to focus on the other class projects they had.

Jade's classes were a solid mix of 'artsy' and 'academic' classes, meaning she wouldn't be completely overwhelmed by any projects during the month of April, but it meant her Finals week would be particularly long and tedious. History, Spanish, Maths, English and Science were these such classes, but she did still have some project-based subjects:

-Screenwriting/Movie Making class involved making her most ambitious pieces yet, where she had to write, direct, film and edit a play of her own creation. Jade had written thousands of plays outside of class, so she decided to just adapt one of those for the part.

-Vocal Music was much easier, just find a solo and duet song which really showed your strengths, style, range and general vocal ability.

* * *

For Cat, who took almost all art-based classes, she had quite a few projects, but her written exams would be shorter. Maths, English and Science would be her only classes without a practical project, but everyone had to take them and they had the longest written exams. The classes she took which did have a project were:

-For Costume Design, she needed to finish the portfolio of outfits she'd been making all year, filled with rough sketches, detailed drawings, material samples and pictured of every costume she'd ever made. On top of this, she had to make one final historically-based outfit.

-Theatrical Makeup was similar, in that she needed to finish a portfolio book, but she also needed to create a final look, using all the techniques she'd learn in the class.

-Like Jade, Cat also took Vocal Music, meaning she had the same project as her girlfriend. Of course, the two of them were going to work together for their duet.

-For songwriting, she had to improve a past song she'd written where she would be graded on both the song itself and how well she had been able to improve it. Which segues the story right into Tori and Cat in one of the Hollywood Arts music rooms, having their first lesson since being given the assignment. Both of them were really looking forward to this project and were both just looking through recordings/notes of their old songs, trying to choose one to improve.

"Have you chosen one yet?" Tori asked Cat as the two of them scrolled through their phone videos.

"I think so," Cat said. "It's one I wrote for Jade just before we started dating."

"That's sweet," Tori replied. "But isn't it too recent to improve?"

"I wrote it in like one night." Cat replied. "It's only vocal and piano, I could make it sound so much better." She added. "Do you know what song you're going to do?"

"Remember 'Begging On Your Knees'?" She asked.

"That song you sang to Ryder Daniels?" Cat replied. "Oh god, his egos was wrecked for like 2 months."

"Yup. And really? I didn't see him much after that." Tori said.

"He used to go to the same parties as my old friends," Cat admitted. "Apart from the 'using girls for grades' thing, he wasn't that terrible of a person."

"Now I feel bad." Tori frowned.

"Don't. He still deserved it." Cat told her. "Anyway, is that the song you're using?"

"No." She sighed, turning back to her phone to scroll even further back, hoping for any more videos of her singing that she'd recorded. "I've just changed my mind, I don't know how to improve it."

"You'll come up with one soon."


	58. Chapter 58

Later that day.

"You sure you're okay Cat?" Beck asked as he drove the girls home after school, noticing the discomfort on the redhead's face as he looked in the rearview mirror.

"Yep," Cat mumbled, leaning against Jade on the backseats of the car. The pain she felt seemed to come in waves, which ranged from tsunamis to ripples, and unfortunately, the car ride fell amidst one of those waves. Luckily, it wasn't too intense but still very uncomfortable for her.

"Alright." Beck sighed, not wanting to push it. "You two looking forward to the projects this month?" He asked, making small-talk.

"I can't wait to get into them," Cat spoke up. "I'm a little worried about the exams though."

"You'll do fine Cat," Beck assured.

"It's not that, it's that Ellie is due at the end of April and the exams are the second week of May." She spoke up.

"My Dad's coming over from Europe to look after her then." Jade reminded. "They'll be fine. He raised me didn't he?"

"And how did that go?" Beck joked. "Joking, obviously."

"I don't not trust him-" Cat cleared up. "I... I guess I'm worried about being away from her.

"Your dad's coming all the way from Europe?" Beck asked. "I thought you didn't have a great relationship with him."

"I've been talking to him loads recently," Jade admitted. "Between Cat and I, he's the only real family we've got, and that Ellie will have. It helps that he's really excited to have a grand-daughter, especially 'cause she's called Elizabeth."

"That's sweet," Beck replied. "I'm glad you two are on better terms."

"He loves Cat, literally adores her," Jade added. "He always has, even when we were little."

"Let's be honest, who couldn't adore Cat," Beck replied, pulling up to the driveway of the girl's house.

"I'm honoured." Cat giggled. "And thanks for the ride Beck."

"Call me if you need picking up again tomorrow," Beck replied, waving goodbye to them as they got out of his car.

* * *

After walking into their house, Jade set straight to work, typing away on her laptop as she edited one of her past scripts for her Screenwriting/Moviemaking class. She was totally entranced by her script, her mind filled with everything from thinking of who she could ask to play each role to where the story's plot was heading and would eventually unfold, her fingers moving rhythmically as she continued to type. Before she knew it, she had been in her writing trance for over an hour, realising that Cat had long left the room, her sketchbook discarded on the couch.

"Cat?" Jade called out, looking around the open planned room for any sign of Cat. "You left your book." She called out, walking over to it and picking it up. It was left open on a half-finished sketch of a dress, which was weird because Cat never left any of her drawings half finished. Whenever Ca was drawing, she was in a world of her own, like Jade with her writing, and she hated stopping before her work was perfect and complete. Jade knew something was wrong. "Cat?!" She called out again, speeding up her pace as she headed towards the staircase, running up them. As she rammed open the bedroom door, she felt both a sigh of relief and worry. Cat was laid across their bed. But she didn't look okay. She had one of the pillows between her legs, curled on her side as small as she could make herself, tears streaking down her face, quietly panting and gasping in pain. "Cat what's wrong?"

"It...it hurts." Cat whimpered, choking back a sob that threatened to leave her. Her eyes opened slightly to look at Jade, and they looked as if they had frozen over, robbed of their usual warmth.

"Your pelvis?" Jade asked, carefully placing her hand on Cat's lower back. She'd seen Cat in a lot of pain recently, but this was a whole new level.

"Ah!" Cat gasped, nodding weekly, still curled up in the ball.

"Can you move at all?" Jade asked. She really didn't like this at all. If Cat was in so much pain that she couldn't move, then something needed to change.

"I... I can try." Cat mumbled, slowly pushing out her legs, until there was a loud click when they were half straightened. And suddenly, she let out a sickeningly loud, strangled scream. We can never truly feel another's pain, but for Jade, that scream of Cat's came close. It was the kind of scream that puts every other thought on hold and roots everyone close in the very same agony. It made the hairs stand straight up on the back of Jade's neck and blood run cold, tearing through her like a great shard of glass. It was the loudest most piercing scream she had ever heard. And it was coming from Cat. "Ow...ow." Cat whimpered, pulling herself back into a tight ball.

"That's it-" Jade chocked out, her jaw clenched from hearing Cat's scream. "I'm taking you to the hospital."

"NO!" Cat yelled. "I'm ok-ah." She whimpered again as she tried to move.

"You aren't," Jade said stubbornly, trying to stop her voice from shaking. "You really aren't." For a second, she contemplated what to do next. "I need to lift you up."

"O..okay." Cat whimpered, giving into Jade's commands, steady her breath to prepare for the pain.

"I'm sorry if this hurt." Jade gulped, slowly and very carefully sliding her hands under Cat's frail frame to lift her bridal style, trying to ignore her quiet whimpers. With the sudden underline pumping through her system, Jade hoisted up Cat in her strong arms as if she was nothing more than a ragdoll. When she securely had Cat in her arms, she very carefully made her way out of the room, very slowly walking down each step. As she reached the bottom, she lowered Cat onto the couch and grabbed her shoes, keys and phone; before returning to Cat, whose eyes were now clamped shut, ignoring the world as she tried to push past the pain tearing through her. Lifting Cat back into her arms, she opened the front door, heading towards the car.

"J...Jadey." Cat whispered, bringing herself back into reality. "Jadey I can't drive."

"I know," Jade said in a shaky voice. "I'm driving."

"But..." Cat started. "But you haven't in ages. You.. you aren't ready. You- Ah." She gasped in pain again as she shifted in Jade's arms.

"I'm making myself be ready" Jade replied, lowering Cat into the passenger seat. "An ambulance will take too long. I have to drive you." As she shut the door on Cat's side, Jade couldn't help but shake even more. Cat was right, she wasn't ready. But she needed to get Cat to the hospital. So, after taking a deep breath, and forcing every bad thought to the back of her mind, Jade opened the driver's door and sat down, pulling on her seatbelt and starting the engine.

The whole drive to the hospital was one of the most stressful 10 minutes of their lives. Cat could barely breathe as the pain engulfed her, and Jade couldn't think of anything but the fear coursing through her veins. Not only was she worried about crashing, and hurting Cat, she was worried that Cat was already hurt. It's not good for someone to be in that much pain, let alone someone who is 8-months pregnant. As Jade pulled the car to a halt in the hospital parking lot, she barely remembered to lock the doors afterwards as she lifted Cat back into her arms. By now, Cat was softly crying again, as sitting upright for 10 minutes didn't do her much good. So, with Cat's tears soaking into Jade's shirt as her head rested on Jade's collar bone, Jade rushed through the open doors of the emergency room. "Help!" She called out, immediately getting the attention of everyone in the waiting room. "She's 8 months pregnant and- please just help!" She cried out as 2 nurses rushed over to her, guiding her to a gurney (stretcher bed). As soon as Jade was close enough, she laid Cat down, the relief on her arms blissful. Immediately, Cat curled up back into a ball, silently crying to herself as her pain was still there.

"Miss?" One of the nurses said, talking to Jade. "Do you think she's in labour?"

"No." Jade shook her head, trying to gather her thoughts. "She's been in pain for a few days and- and I don't know what's wrong."

"That's okay, please just follow us." The other nurse said, wheeling Cat's bed into a nearby room.

"Miss, what is your name, and hers?" The first nurse said.

"Jadelyn West," Jade replied. "And she's Catarina Valentine. Do you know what's wrong with her?" She asked quickly.

"I can't tell you from just looking at her dear." One nurse said sympathetically as a doctor walked into the room. "I'll go look up her files." She told the man, as she and the other nurse rushed out of the room.

The doctor flashed Jade a quick smile before turning his attention to Cat on the bed. "Her name is Cat," Jade told him quickly. Every part of her being wanted to run over to Cat's bed and be right by her side, but she knew that wouldn't be helpful for the doctor, so she rooted herself in place a few feet away.

After nodded briefly in thanks, he addressed Cat, crouching down to be level with her bed. "Hello, Cat." She was still curled up tight in the bed, not looking up at anything. He said, his voice calm and somewhat sweet. "I need you to lay flat out for me. Can you do that?"

"Mhm." Cat nodded, slowly pushing her legs out, expanding from her curled up state. After a few moments of whimpering and trying to hold back from crying out in pain, she was laying flat on her back.

"Now, I need you to tell me where the pain is." The doctor spoke up.

"H...h...here." Cat chocked out, motioning to her pelvis and back.

"Has she had any difficulty walking or moving?" The doctor asked Jade, who was stood a few feet away, not taking her eyes off of Cat.

"A lot, she's been in pain for a few days now and laying down is the only thing that helps," Jade explained.

"And any sudden waves of depression or general sadness?" He asked.

"Yes," Jade replied bluntly.

"I'm going to place my hands on your hips-" The doctor said slowly, directing his attention back to Cat. "And I need you to move your left leg to the side as far as you can. Okay?"

"O...okay," Cat mumbled, flinching in pain as his hands touched either side of her hips. Slowly, she moved her leg as instructed, rotating at the hip. From years of dancing, she could normally move her leg to an almost 90 degree sideways angle, but now, she could barely move it an inch without crying out in pain.

At this moment, one of the nurses returned into the room, holding an A4 paper filled with writing about Cat's medical history. She handed to the doctor who briefly looked over it, then looked back at Cat, and then to the nurse. "Can you get me a needle of Demerol, and inform the radiology department that I will be bringing Cat over to them shortly?" He asked the nurse.

"Of course." The nurse nodded, rushing back out of the room.

"Radiology?" Jade spoke up in a panic. "Demerol? What is-"

"I'm refering her for an x-ray." The doctor explains quickly. "And Demerol is pain relief."

"Do you know what's wrong with her then?" Jade asked.

"I have a suspicion, but the x-ray will confirm. It's nothing too serious, quite common really, just very painful for her." The doctor replied calmly. "I've finished my examination now." He told Jade, stepping back from Cat's bed, allowing Jade to be closer to her.

As soon as the doctor pulled out a small device from his pocket, inputting the new information from the past few minutes, Jade rushed over to Cat, taking her girlfriend's hand in her own. "Jadey." Cat whimpered, trying hard to regulate her breathing. The pain just wasn't leaving, normally it was gone by now, but it just wasn't leaving.

"I'm right here." She whispered back to Cat, lightly stroking her red hair. "You're being so brave."

"I'm so sorry." Cat whimpered.

"What?" Jade asked. "Cat you've done nothing wrong." She reassured.

"I'm hurting the baby- I... I'm sorry." Cat whispered, tears starting to fall down her cheeks.

"You aren't hurting the baby Cat," Jade told her adamantly. "The baby isn't in danger right?" She asked, turning to the doctor.

"No." He shook his head. "And even if they were, then Cat is far enough along for labour to be an option."

"No!" Cat gasped. "I can't-"

"Hopefully it won't come to that." The doctor interrupted. As he finished talking, the nurse returned with a packaged syringe, handing it to the doctor.

"The radiology department is ready for you." The nurse added.

"Thank you." The doctor nodded, unpackaging the syringe and walking over towards her. "Cat, this is going to pinch slightly."

"What is?" Cat said, looking up and realising he was holding a needle. "Ah!"

"Cat, sweetie-" Jade started, keeping her hand on Cat's. "It's going to stop the pain. Just lay still and look at me okay?"

"Kay-kay," Cat mumbled, keeping her eyes on Jade as the doctor pressed the needle into her arm and injected the pain killer. A small squeak left her lips as it made contact, but she sighed in relief as it was done and he pulled it back out again.

"You're doing so well." Jade encouraged, knowing full well that Cat seriously hates needles.

"I need to take her to have her x-ray." The doctor informed Jade. "Do you think you could lift her onto this wheelchair?" He asked, pulling the chair from the corner of the room.

"Yeah, I can do that." Jade nodded, carefully lifting a Cat off of the bed and into the wheelchair. The pain relief already seemed to be working, as Cat barely let out a whimper when Jade moved her.

"Thank you." The doctor nodded, placing his hands on the handles of her chair, beginning to lead her out of the room. Jade started to follow, but the doctor told her to stay. "We will be back in a few minutes." He informed her.

"Bye Jadey." Cat waved as she was wheeled out, her mind a little out of it due to the pain relief.

"But...but I-" Jade stuttered, still wanting to follow after Cat.

"She'll be okay." A voice spoke up, reminding Jade that there was, in fact, a nurse still in the room. "You can take your mind off of it by filling in some forms." She told her, holding up said forms "And you should probably use this time to contact any family about her."

"Contact family?" Jade asked. "What's going to happen to her?"

"Nothing." The nurse reassured. "It's just that they would probably want to know about her situation."

"Oh right," Jade said, taking the forms from the nurse, who then promptly left the room. After the door shut behind her, Jade felt her whole body tense. Everything was just too much to process. First Cat was hurting, screaming in fact, then she'd driven her to hospital. Next Cat was injected with pain relief and now she was being taken to have an x-ray. The silent of the room was almost worse than the hustle as it let her mind catch up with everything that had happened. Taking a deep breath, Jade decided the nurse was right and that she needed to keep herself busy. And seeing as Cat didn't have any family, she would call Tori, Beck, Andre and Robbie. Tori was the most recent on her call list, so that's who she chose to call first. "Tori." She gasped into the phone once the half-latina answered.

_"Well, yes? You did click my number." _Tori replied, confused.

"No time for sass. " Jade snapped back. "I've just driven Cat to the hospital-"

_"What? What's wrong?"_ Tori gasped.

"I don't know yet. I'll keep you updated. She was just in a load of pain and she was crying out and-" Jade began to ramble, unable to keep her voice stable as it broke and jumped around. She had to do everything in her power to not break down in tears, it was all just too much for her to think about.

_"Okay. Um, do you want me to come over or-"_

"I don't think its overly serious, I'm just worrying," Jade explained. "If something bad happens, as she goes into labour then yeah, I'll call you to come."

_"Is there a chance she could?"_ Tori asked in a panic.

"Not that I know of," Jade replied quickly. "But if she does, she's far enough along where hopefully everything would be okay."

_"Thank God."_

"I've gotta call Beck," Jade said, reminding herself. "I'll keep you updated okay?"

_"Okay. I hope everything goes alright."_

"Me too."


	59. Chapter 59

Jade POV

'Symphysis pubis dysfunction (SPD)'. That's what the doctor says Cat has. It sounds really serious, and normally it isn't, well it kinda is, but Cat's got it really bad. Basically, SPD is caused by producing too much of a hormone named relaxin, which helps makes your ligaments stretchy to prepare for birth. It sounds like a lot of this would be good and make things easier, but all it's done is made her pelvic bone rally lose. Once again, Cat has it really bad and it's lead to 'symphyseal separation', where her bones are further apart than they should be, causing a large gap in the joint. It made me shiver just thinking about it, but the x-rays really brought the sight to my eyes, literally, and I truly understood her pain. The gap widened when she moved her legs and, oh my god it just looked so painful.

The worse part of it? There's nothing that can be done about it. Well, there are some things, but they only ease Cat's pain rather than stop it. First, they gave her a pelvic support belt, which is one of the strangest looking things I've ever seen, and a prescription for pain daily pain relief tablets. The Demerol seemed to already be doing wonders on her, so I hope these tablets work the same. Next was the scariest part: they gave her a wheelchair. A wheelchair. She was in so much pain that she needed a wheelchair? And Cat didn't even want to go to the hospital in the first place, so that shows you how strong she had been. She didn't need the chair all the time, just to keep her off of her feet when moving around a lot. Finally, she had also been given a weekly physiotherapy appointment here at the hospital until Ellie is born, to try and strengthen and re-align the joint.

And with that, only a few hours after they'd arrived, I wheeled Cat in her chair out of the hospital doors. "Jadey?" Cat asked as we made our way into the parking lot. "I don't think I can drive with the painkillers in my system."

"I'm not expecting you to drive," I reassured her. "I'll do it."

"Really? Do you think you're ready to?"

"I drove us here didn't I?" I replied. I'd had a lot of time to think while waiting for Cat's results, and one of the things on my mind involved driving. Despite the conditions earlier, I had in fact driven Cat and nothing went wrong. Of course, there was still that slight nagging feeling at the back of my mind, but it was much smaller now and I could easily push it away. I was slightly forcing myself before I was 100% ready, but with Cat in a wheelchair, I couldn't count on her driving at all anymore, so I really needed to step up.

"Oh yeah." She replied. I'm not surprised she didn't remember it, she was really out of it earlier.

As we reached the car, Cat stood up from her chair and carefully climbed into the passenger seat, while I folded up the chair and placed it in the back of the car. "How're you feeling?" I asked as I sat in the driver's seat.

"This support belt is doing wonders." She replied, smiling weakly. "And the pain killers obviously."

"Glad I took your to the hospital?" I asked.

"Very." She nodded.

"See, I know best." I winked. "Wanna grab a McDonalds on the way home?" I asked, noting that it was way past the time we normally ate.

"Definitely," Cat replied, her eyes practically lighting up at the idea of food.

* * *

Once we got home, McDonald's brown paper bags in hand, Cat decided that it would be easier to update everyone at once by calling our TheSlap group chat. She placed the laptop on the table and pulled her chair up to it, a small smile on her face as she rolled around. "You're enjoying that aren't you?" I commented.

"So much." She giggled, rolling herself back and forth playfully.

"Only you would find being in a wheelchair fun." I shook my head to myself.

She giggled once again, pulling herself back over to the laptop and starting the call. "Heya guys." She greeted as Tori, Beck, Andre and Robbie all answered after the first ring. Clearly, they'd all been sitting by their phones, waiting for an update on Cat.

"Hey." They all replied, quickly followed by variations of: "You okay? What did the doctors say?"

"I'm much better now." She smiled. "And the doctor told me a lot of things I didn't understand, to be honest, but basically my pelvis has been moving apart." She summarised. "I took a picture of my x-ray, wanna see?"

"No!" I interrupted, rushing forward. "You don't wanna see it."

"I'm curious," Beck replied, so Cat showed the pictures anyway.

"That gap-" she pointed to the gap between her pelvic bones. "It shouldn't be like that."

"Ah!" Tori gaped. "That looks painful."

"It was." Cat nodded frantically.

"What's been done about it then?" Robbie asked.

"I've been given painkillers and Jadey got me McDonald's, which makes everything better." She giggled. Damn those painkillers are really making her loopy. "Oh yeah, and this." She pushed herself on the wheelchair backwards, so that it was in view of the camera.

"Oh my god!" Tori interrupted. "You're in a wheelchair?!"

"It's cool isn't it," Cat replied, rocking herself back and forth again as she did for me.

"That's really serious Lil'Red," Andre spoke up.

"That's what Jade said." Cat frowned, looking at me. "Why am I the only one finding this funny?"

"Cause you're pumped full of painkillers." I reminded.

"She is?" Beck spoke up. "That makes sense."

"Hey!" Cat giggled again.

"I'm just glad you're okay Cat," Robbie spoke up. "You really worried us."

"Oh, I didn't mean to." Cat replied.

"I know, we just worried anyway."

"You're all really good friends." Cat beamed.

"Anything for you Lil'Red."

"Yay! I'm loved!"

* * *

No POV

Despite Jade's protests, Cat assured her that she was well enough to go to school the next morning. This resulted in the whole morning being spent explaining why Cat was in a wheelchair due to to the number of people asking in the hallways and classes. After the 10th person, Jade was getting a little annoyed, but Cat was constantly happy to explain things to anyone who asked. Oh, how opposite they were. Her favourite reaction was from Sikowitz, who asked if he could use it for a second, before promptly wheeling himself straight off of the stage and landed on his face.

Anyway, away from the subject of the movable chair, a few hours into the day fell Tori and Cat's shared Songwriting class. They'd now both chosen a song to adapt (Cat chose 'Into You' **(A/N Throwback to chapter 9)** and Tori chooses 'Here's 2 Us'), and were now starting to decide which changes to make.

"I think I'm going to change mine from slow acoustic to more upbeat pop." Cat pounded aloud, scribbling this down onto a notebook. "I can add way more instruments that way."

"Sounds good," Tori replied. "But then again, the song already sounds great." Cat had recorded a video of her singing the original on her Youtube a while ago, so Tori had already heard it.

"Yours sounds amazing already too," Cat said. "I don't know how you're going to change it."

"Me neither." Tori sighed. "Its already got so much going on. I had ideas yesterday but now I've forgotten them."

"How about you start by just doing everything the same so before and then edit after its all been transcribed to add more?" Cat suggested.

"That could work," Tori spoke up. Luckily, she and Andre had written down all the notes and rhythms when they performed it the first time, so all she had to do was copy and record. It would take her a while to nail some of the more complex parts, but she could do it with some of Cat's help.

"Oh my God, these lyrics are terrible." Cat cringed at some of the lyrics she'd written ages ago **(A/N Once again, check back to chapter 9 to see what I mean.) **"And I need to change that introduction."

"I like it, it's all sweet and soothing," Tori commented.

"Yeah, I want it to be more retro and hard-hitting," Cat said. "Wait! I've got it." She wheeled herself over to the guitar wrack and picked up the bass guitar. "If I take some of the notes from the piano I can make an epic bass like:" She swung the guitar onto her lap and started plucking out rhythm.

"How do you do that?!" Tori asked.

"Do what?" Cat asked naively.

"Just pick something up, know what notes to play and know how to play it?" Tori pushed.

"I don't know." Cat shrugged. "Playing over the rhythm, mixing up the chords, before grabbing her notepad and jotting them down. "If I made this loud in the recording, and layer everything over it, I can use it like the piano in the last song. If that makes any sense."

"It doesn't." Tori laughed. "But you know what you meant."

"A really simple drum beat will go great over this," Cat spoke up, playing the bass loop again, plugging the guitar into the speaker that inputted it into the recording software, ignoring Tori's reply. Next, she put down the guitar and layered a simple four-beat base-drum loop over the first 24 bars. "And then I'll distort the bass and layer vocals on top and- sorry am I talking too much?" She asked, spinning her chair around to see Tori, just sat there looking at her.

"No." Tori shook her head. "It's just- I'm going to be really sad if you don't go into song-making when you're older. You have such a natural talent for it and it amazed me every time we work in the same room."

"Awe thank you." Cat giggled. "You doing alright there?"

"I'm trying to work out where the capo should be on this guitar." She sighed. "I didn't write that down."

"What're the chords?" Cat asked.

"Um... It's Bm, A, D, G." Tori read off the tab markings.

"Alright," Cat said, mentally working it out for a few seconds. "7th fret I think."

"Thanks," Tori replied, placing the capo on the 7th fret and strumming out the chords. "Yep, that sounds right."

After a few more moments of Cat tinkering with some bass distortion, she asked if she could listen to the original song again. "Sure, it's on my Youtube channel." Cat reminded.

"Oh right yeah," Tori replied, pulling out her phone and searching up Cat's page. Suddenly, as her phone lit up to show the channel, words just left her. It wasn't because of Cat's adorable profile picture of herself smiling, or her elegantly personialsed banner art, no she'd seen that all before. It was the little number next to her 'Subscribe' button. "Cat?" She asked, blinking a few times to check her eyes weren't playing a mean trick on her. "When did you get 10k subscribers?"

"Wait for what?" Cat asked, wheeling her way over to Tori, not overly sure she'd heard Tori quite right.

"Look," Tori replied, holding out the phone for Cat. Low and behold, she was right. Cat's channel had jumped from 3 thousand subscribers to 10 thousand.

Cat's brain stuttered for a moment and her eyes took in more light than she expected as they widened, every part of her went on pause while her thoughts caught up. "Oh my God!" She squealed, hopping up and down in her chair. "When did that happen?!"

"That's what I'm asking you," Tori replied, still looking at her phone with wide eyes. "How do you gain 7k without noticing?"

"Maybe it happened last night?" Cat pondered. "'Cause I was kinda preoccupied then."

"Just check your channel analytics," Tori suggested.

"Alright," Cat replied curtly, pulling out her own phone that was logged into her account, and looking at the analytics. It was clear as day that there was a major peak in views 2 days before, and she just hadn't noticed until now. During this time, Tori was on her phone scrolling through the account.

"I found the culprit." She spoke up, showing Cat her cover of 'She Used To Be Mine'. "It has almost 70K views, and all the comments say that the video came up on their recommended page for some reason."

"So YouTube just messed up?" Cat asked.

"Messed up good." Tori nodded. "Cat this is great for you, it means you can keep growing your channel even faster now."

"Damn, maybe this might actually go somewhere," Cat replied, a smile now plastered across her face as she looked at the new number beside her username.

"Well we're in a room with instruments and great acoustics, how about we record something now?" Tori suggested.

"But aren't we meant to be doing our projects?" Cat asked.

"Trust me, at the speed you work we're gonna be finished with a load of time to spare. Besides, you've gotta post a lot more now to keep these people subscribed."

"That sounds like a lot of pressure." Cat gulped.

"Come on, let's just record something." Tori encouraged.

"Oh, alright then." Cat gave in. "This could be fun."


	60. Chapter 60

Before they knew it, a few weeks had passed and the month was coming to an end, meaning the end-of-year projects were suddenly due in. Cat had already handed in the audio file of her song for Songwriting Class, and submitted the multiple pictures of movie-makeup she'd done on a slightly-unwilling Jade for her Theatrical Makeup Class. Now all that was left was her historical outfit for Costume Design and a solo/duet for Vocal Music. She wasn't nervous for either of them, as her dress was practically finished: A beautiful, elegant and intricate Elizabethan gown, that she'd chosen to make solely because the word 'Elizabeth' was within its name. And Jade's mini-movie was turning out really well. It was, of course, a horror movie. Its plot revolved around a group of teenagers (guess who they were played by), just clearing out an attic to make into a hangout room when one stumbles across an Ouija board. After messing about with it, they unknowingly summon a group of demons, who proceeded to follow the teens around, causing an abundance of trouble for them and leaving them all dead through different gruesome paths. It was filled with gore, fear and a lot of very detailed and well-directed scenery, and despite its graphic nature, anyone would be able to appreciate how well made it was.

Anyway, on this day Cat was really excited to sing for Vocal Music class project, which was due that day. The assessment of her work consisted of a single session in a recording studio, with the teacher recording and listening to the take. She'd been practising her solo songs at every chance she got, and her and Jade's duet was something they'd been nailing for years. Of course, she'd already posted a quick preview of her cover to her YouTube channel, which by now had sky-rocketed even further and was fast approaching 20 thousand subscribers. People just really loved her voice, and the little baby-updates she was posting on there too. She'd even made her social media account public by now, so they were also gaining a lot of followers fast, she was practically becoming a mini-celebrity.

"Aren't you excited?" Cat asked as Jade drove her into school the morning of the recording session. She was practically bouncing up and down in her seat, which was quite a feat seeing as she was now merely days from her due date and therefore very pregnant.

"Not quite 'excited'," Jade replied honestly. "I'm looking forward to not singing this song constantly. Don't get me wrong, I like the song, but damn does it get on your nerves after a while."

"Why aren't you excited?" Cat pouted.

"I don't know." Jade shrugged. "Maybe I'm scared of messing up."

"You've never messed up that song." Cat replied quickly. "I should be the nervous one, my song has whistle tones that go up to E7. I've messed that up a million times... Wait, what if I mess up today? Oh God, that would be so embarrassing."

"Stop, you're worrying yourself now." Jade cut her off. "You've been practising those notes for weeks, I'm sure by now you're part Apito (a whistle). You're going to ace it." Luckily, Jade had just stopped the car at a red light, so she leant across and quickly gave Cat a kiss. Over the past month, she'd gotten fully back into driving again, she rarely even thought about the crash, things were just so much better for her now. Because of this, the girls had even stopped going to therapy as they just didn't need it anymore.

"You're the best," Cat commented, a smile on her face still from the kiss, no more worries in her mind.

"I do try," Jade replied humbly, pulling the car into drive again.

So that their teacher could fit in the songs in one day, the sessions ran throughout the whole day. Luckily for Cat and Jade, they were chosen to go first thing in the morning, meaning the could get it over and done with without the worry reappearing in their thoughts. Thus, after briefly talking to their friends, Cat and Jade headed off to the studio. "Ciao Mr Canto." Cat greeted, wheeling her way through the door.

"Ciao Cat," He greeted in return, shaking his head to himself at Cat's antics. Mr Canto was a man in his late 30s, average height and evenly tanned skin. His face was half covered by a neatby trimed beard, the same dark brown as his hair, around his eyes were laughter lines in just the right amount. Nothing overly stand-outish in appearance, but then you'd get to know him and he'd be a staple in your memory. Some folks wear a smile, this guy was the smile. He was just a generally nice guy always cracking jokes to make you laugh, even to his students that he was typically meant to have a sense of seriousness and authority over. He was one teacher the kids could never get the better of. Whatever witty retort they had, he had one better. He took their disobedience and turned into an advantage for himself, but not through belittling them or stamping authority. He checked their behaviour with a style of humour they could relate to, aspire to even. When he taught it was with the passion of a life long teacher, someone who lived to inspire a love of learning in the next generation. Anyway, Cat's favourite part about him was that he was Italian, hence the greeting, and ever since she'd found this out she always used it as a way to flex her Italian, something she hadn't done much since being away from her family. "Come stai oggi? _(How are you?)_" He asked her, anticipating her want to converse.

"Sono un po' nervosa _(I'm slightly nervous)_." She admitted

"Sono sicura che andrai alla grande. _(I'm sure you'll be great.)_" He replied.

"Vuoi parlare come mangi, per favore?_ (Will you speak English, please?)_" Jade interrupted in a poor Italian accent, saying the only Italian phrase she knew, one that she'd learnt for the exact reason that the two of them got carried way sometimes.

"Right, yes." Mr Canto replied. "Who would like to go first? Or maybe your duet?"

"Duet?" Cat asked Jade, who nodded.

"Everything is set up for you." Mr Canto smiled, motioning to the two microphones set up in the middle of the room, on stands with wires that hooked them up to a recording machine. The walls were covered in sound-dampening foam and the floor carpeted. It was the perfect place to record, which was why it was there.

After a quick vocal warm-up, the two girls walked/ wheeled their way over to the microphones where Cat then made her way to her feet. It was much better to sing stood upright, and standing for only a few minutes wasn't enough to cause her too much pain. They put on the headphones and Jade nodded her head to Mr Canto, who pressed play on the speaker beside him, which started projecting the backing of their song into the room. Song: 'Take Me or Leave Me' from the Rent Musical. **(A/N Ariana and Liz have done so many great covers of this song. Go listen to some, I command you.)**

**Jade:** "_Every single day,_

_I walk down the street_

_I hear people say 'baby so sweet'_

_Ever since puberty_

_Everybody stares at me_

_Boys girls I can't help it baby_

_So be kind and don't lose your mind_

_Just remember that I'm your baby_

_Take me for what I am_

_Who I was meant to be_

_And if you give a damn_

_Take me baby_

_Or leave me_

_Take me baby or leave me_

**Cat: **_A tiger in a cage_

_Can never see the sun_

**Jade: **_This diva needs her stage_

_Baby lets have fun_

**Cat: **_You are the one I choose_

_Folks would kill to fill your shoes_

_You love the limelight too now baby_

_So be mine and don't waste my time_

_Cryin' 'oh honey bear are you still my, my, my baby?'_

_Take me for what I am_

_Who I was meant to be_

**Jade: **_And if you give a damn_

_Take me baby or leave me_

**Both: **_No way, can I be what I'm not_

**Jade: **_But hey, don't you want your girl hot?_

**Cat: **_Don't fight, don't lose your head_

**Both: **_'Cause every night who's in your bed?_

**Jade: **_Who?_

**Cat: **_Who's in your bed?_

**Jade: **_(Spoken:) kiss pookie_

**Cat: **_It won't work_

_I look before I leap_

_I love margins and discipline_

_I make lists in my sleep baby_

_Whats my sin?_

_Never quit_

_I follow through_

_I hate mess but I love you_

_What do with my improptu baby?_

_So be wise 'cause this girl satisfies_

_You got a prize so don't compromise_

_You're one lucky baby_

**Cat: **_Take me for what I am_

**Jade:** _A control freak_

**Cat: **_Who I was meant to be_

**Jade:**_ A snob yet over attentive_

**Cat:**_ And if you give a damn_

**Jade:**_ A loveable droll geek_

**Cat:**_ Take me baby or leave me_

**Jade:**_ An anal retentive_

**Both:**_ That's it_

**Cat:**_ The straw that breaks my back_

**Both:**_ I quit_

**Cat:**_ Unless you take it back_

**Both****:** _Women_

**Jade:**_ What is it about them?_

**Both:**_ Can't live with them or without them_

**Both:**_ Take me for what I am_

**Cat:**_ Who I was meant to be_

**Jade:**_ Who I was meant to be_

_And if you give a damn_

**Cat:** _And if you give a damn then_

_Take me baby, or leave me_

**Jade:**_ Take me baby, take me or la-la-la-la-la-leave me_

**Both**_: Take me baby or leave me_

_(Spoken:) Guess I'm leaving I'm gone!"_

As soon as the song was over, both girls were breathlessly looking at each other. They'd gone totally full out and aced every single note. It was such a vocally demanding song, but they'd literally sung it 100 times and knew every twist and turn it brought.

"Well done girls!" Mr Canto applauded, ending the recording. "I can tell you without even looking at my mark scheme that that will get at least an A!"

"Really?" Cat asked, sitting back down in her wheelchair.

"Definitely." He smiled at them.

After a quick water break to recover from the intense singing, Jade volunteered to go next with her solo. She'd chosen to do one of her favourite rock songs, as she thought it was the genre that fitted her voice best. Song: 'Die Trying'** (A/N I'm pretty sure Liz Gillies actually wrote this for a show she was on, but she just sins it so well so I' using it. Once again, it's really worth a listen.)**

_"Let go of my soul_

_Let me up so I can breathe_

_Gotta find some kinda cover_

_From this hold you have on me_

_I'm gonna get right over you_

_Yeah, or I'm gonna die trying_

_I can feel you like a fever_

_Down in the marrow of my bones_

_Sliding like a demon_

_Trying to feed my wicked Jones_

_I'm gonna get right over you_

_Yeah, or I'm gonna die trying_

_I'm gonna drink all night until you fade away_

_Yes I am_

_Your walk and your talk and my pain will all be erased_

_Everything you ever said_

_I'm gonna crush until it cries_

_I'm gonna watch you disappear_

_Into a cocaine skies_

_I'm gonna get right over you_

_Yeah, or I'm gonna die trying_

_Give me my vodka cold_

_And give me my cider hard_

_I'm on a mission to forget about you_

_Under the champagne stars_

_Under the champagne stars_

_Under the champagne stars_

_Under the champagne stars."_

"Whooop!" Cat whistled, once the teacher had ended the recording, frantically applauding her girlfriend. Sure, rock wasn't really her favourite genre, but she could appreciate when a song was sung well, and damn was it sung well. Once again, it was a really vocally demanding song, but once again she aced it. Cat could never understand why Jade didn't want to pursue music, but then again if she didn't fall pregnant with Ellie, Cat was planning to go into fashion, it was only recently that she decided towards music as her path. "You did great." Cat praised her.

"Thanks," Jade replied, slightly breathless. "You're gonna do great too." She encouraged.

"Sono pronto per te, Cat. _(I'm ready for you, Cat.)" _Mr Canto told her, once again speaking in Italian as he knew it would make her smile.

"Kay kay," Cat replied, wheeling her way back over to the mics and once again standing.

"Remember what I said about the whistle tones." He spoke up quickly.

"'Go close to the mic and don't push yourself.'" Cat quoted, quickly re-warming up her vocals for a few minutes so that she could hit them. Song: 'Emotions' Mariah Carey **(A/N Once again, Ariana has done a really good cover of this song.)**

_"You've got me feeling emotions_

_Deeper than I've ever dreamed of_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Higher than the heavens above_

_I feel good_

_I feel nice_

_I've never felt so_

_Satisfied_

_I'm in love_

_I'm alive_

_Intoxicated_

_Flying high_

_It feels like a dream_

_When you touch me tenderly_

_I don't know if it's real_

_But I like the way I feel inside" __[Whistle Tone]_

_"You've got me feeling emotions_

_Deeper than I've ever dreamed of_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Higher than the heavens above_

_In the morning_

_When I rise_

_You are the first thing_

_On my mind_

_And in the middle_

_Of the night_

_I feel your heartbeat_

_Next to mine_

_It feels like a dream_

_When you love me tenderly_

_I don't know if you're for real_

_But I like the way I feel inside" __[Whistle Tone]_

_"You've got me feeling emotions_

_Deeper than I've ever dreamed of_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Higher than the heavens above_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Deeper than I've ever dreamed of_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Higher than the heavens above_

_You know the way to make me lose control_

_When you're looking into my eyes_

_You make me feel so_

_High" __[Whistle Tones]_

_"You've got me feeling emotions_

_Deeper than I've ever dreamed of_

_You've got me feeling emotions_

_Higher than the heavens above_

_You've got me feeling emotions, yes you do_

_You've got me feeling emotions, yeah" __[Whistle Tones]_

_"You've got me feeling higher."_

"Oh, sweet Jesus." Cat chocked out as she pulled off the headphones and swiftly sat back on her wheelchair.

"Are you okay?" Jade rushed over to her.

"Yup." Cat replied quickly. "I'm just glad I didn't mess up." She smiled. "I'm slightly light-headed though."

"Here." Mr Canto spoke up, handing Cat her drink. "On the upside, you both did amazingly and are free to go, but please stop by the nurse if you feel light headed Cat."

"I.. I think I'm okay now," Cat replied after taking a gulp of her drink. "I just needed to sit down."

"If you're sure." Mr Canto smiled at them. "You both did great."

"Thank you." The girls replied together.

"If you could get Tori and Andre on your way back to class, it would be much appreciated." He asked.

"Of course." Cat replied. "Addio _(Goodbye)._" She waved, wheeling herself out.

"Addio." The teacher replied.


	61. Chapter 61

"How'd it go?" Cat asked Tori and Andre at lunch a few hours later after they'd also recorded their songs. They were all stood (or sat) in line for the grub truck, waiting in queue to get some food.

"I messed mine up." Tori sighed.

"Mr Canto let you re-do it though." Andre reassured her. "But you didn't hear that from us." He told Cat.

"But he's still probably going to mark me down on it," Tori mumbled.

"Mr Canto is nice, he wouldn't do that." Cat smiled as they reached the front of the line, and telling Festus their orders. "Can you hand this up to him?" Cat asked, pacing her money to Andre who handed it up to the window, the restrictions of the chair meaning she couldn't reach herself.

"Sure," Andre said, handing Festus the money, and then taking Cat's lunch from him, offering to carry it back to the table.

"I got it." Cat smiled, placing the container on her ap as she wheeled herself to the table, Tori and Andre walking with her. "I'm getting pretty used to this thing now."

"You haven't got much longer in it now do you?" Tori asked.

"Yep, Only 3 days until she's due and then I'll hopefully be able to walk again," Cat told her.

"3 days," Tori repeated to herself. "I'm going to be a Godmother in 3 days. Why would you trust me with that kind of responsibility?" She joked.

"How'd you think I feel?" Cat replied. "I'm going to be the actual mother. I could barely look after myself until a few months ago, let alone a whole another human."

"Well, you've had enough practice with looking after Jade." Tori joked again as they reached the table, where Jade and Robbie were sat.

"Hey!" Jade spoke up. "If you're gonna poke fun of me, at least attempt to do it where I can't hear you."

"Where's the fun in that?" Tori smirked.

"I swear, she's got sassier and Jade's gotten softer." Cat observed, pulling herself out of the wheelchair to sit on the bench beside her girlfriend.

"I am not soft," Jade grumbled.

"You so are." Cat smiled, leaning into Jade's said. "I like it though." She added.

"Wffch!" Tori interrupted, making the 'whipped' noise and miming having a lasso, making Andre and Robbie laugh.

"You know, that's really getting old," Jade replied, wrapping her arm over Cat's shoulders.

"Is it though?" Tori giggled.

"Hey, where's Beck?" Cat spoke up, changing the subject.

"He's gone to the film studios for a table read of the first episode of his show," Andre explained.

"Ooh." Cat replied. "That's really cool."

"Its gonna be even cooler to see him on Netflix," Robbie added. "I really hope the show takes off for his career."

"I bet it will, Beck's one hell of an actor," Jade reminded.

"Its gonna be so cool to see where this takes him," Tori commented. "To be honest, I can't wait to see where we all end up in like 10 years. Beck will be an actor, Jade will be writing the movies he's in, Andre will be a music producer, Cat will be a singer, Robbie will be working in tech-theatre and I'll be somewhere doing something." She finished.

"You not on the path to a pop-star anymore?" Jade asked.

"I'm not sure." Tori pondered aloud. "I love music, and singing, but we'll see where that goes after college."

"You're gonna reach every dream you've got Tor'" Andre encouraged, pulling his girlfriend closer to him and rubbing her arm comfortingly.

"Great, I'm 3th wheeling," Robbie spoke up.

"There are two more wheels here, sit on them a roll away then." Jade shot back, using her ankle to push away Cat's abandoned wheelchair towards him. She felt Cat shuffle slightly against her. "I'm only kidding Cat."

"Hey, Jade," Tori spoke up.

"What?"

"You do realise Cat's fallen asleep. Right?" Tori added.

"What?" Jade said, tilting her head round to see that Cat had, in fact, fallen asleep leant against her. "Oh right. Cat?" She whispered, lightly shaking the redhead. "Cat?"

"Huh?" Cat mumbled, slowly waking up from her very short nap.

"You fell asleep," Jae told her.

"Then why'd you wake me?" Cat grumbled.

"'Cause you need to eat," Jade told her, pushing Cat's lunch towards her. "You don't eat enough."

"Fine." Cat sighed, sitting upright and pulling the food back to her. "Only 3 more days." She whispered to herself.

"I'm going to keep reminding you to eat even after Ellie's out of you," Jade told her.

"Meanie," Cat mumbled.

"Sure. Reminding you to eat is _totally _mean." Jade shook her head to herself.

* * *

It didn't take long for those 3 days to pass, in fact, it took 3 days... _Nah really? _Anyway, the third day came and went. Then the fourth. And suddenly it was the 6th day and Cat still hadn't given birth, and they were starting to worry. Of course, babies take longer than expected all the time, but by now Cat was totally over being pregnant and just wanted Ellie out of her. The SPD pain, which had been manageable due to the help she was getting, had suddenly picked up again and she was put on bedrest until she went into labour. If Ellie took any longer, Jade was adamant that she going to take Cat to the hospital to get her induced.

"She'll come when she's ready," Cat told Jade for the 100th time, on the night of April 30th, 3 days after the due date.

"She should have been ready by now." Jade reminded her, pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed, where Cat was half-laid, half-sat. "There's gotta be something else we can do to make her come now." She pondered, pulling out her phone.

"Nope!" Cat announced. "We're not doing another internet suggestion. They just don't work."

"Fine," Jade grumbled. In all fairness, Cat was right. They had tried everything the internet told them already, since the day before the due date, in hopes to get Ellie out of there. First, they tried spicy food, which didn't do anything at all, because Cat was already used to the heat from the food she cooked normally. There were a few more food-related ones such as drinking raspberry leaf tea or eating dates, but they didn't work. Next, they tried something that Jade was very happy about, sex, which was highly suggested by the websites. However, due to Cat's SPD, it just hurt her too much and they didn't try it again. Apparently, nipple stimulation was also something that helped, but once again it didn't for Cat.

"I'm starting to think a lot of these are fake suggestions that the partners put to trick their pregnant spouses into doing them," Cat spoke up.

"They could be." Jade shrugged. "I mean I was very happy about the two of the suggestions." She winked.

"I know you did." Cat shook her head. "Maybe we should just try and get some sleep and we'll see what happens then."

"Alright." Jade agreed, climbing into the bed beside her. "If you start getting contractions then wake me."

"Apposed to leaving you to sleep and taking myself to the hospital?" Cat raised an eyebrow. "Of course I'll wake you."

"Good," Jade replied curtly, giving Cat a quick kiss before laying down properly to start sleeping. "Love you." She whispered.

"Love you more." Cat purred, wiggling herself closer to Jade to get more comfortable.


	62. Chapter 62

3 am the next morning, May 1st

"Mhhm." Cat groaned to herself, her hands rested on her lower back. Apparently, at some point in her sleep, she'd shuffled away from Jade. There was a dull ache around her pelvis, and she thought she would've been used to it by now, but it didn't quite feel right this time, it was almost numbing. Thinking back, she was sure she'd felt the same thing when she'd gotten into bed a few hours before, but then she'd shrugged it off and gone to sleep, hoping it would pass. Clearly, it hadn't. "Mhm," Cat mumbled again, shifting her hands onto her bump, it was rock solid, the muscles tight under her touch. It was too early to think about what that meant, so Cat just closed her eyes again and moved back closer to Jade. Luckily, the pain started to fade and she could feel the muscles loosen in her abdomen.

20 minutes later, she woke up again. The same pain, a numbing ache from her lower back. "Oh god." She mumbled it got stronger. She could feel the muscle contract under her skin- _contract_? "I'm in labour." She realised. She turned to wake Jade, biting back the sob that threatened to break from her throat, when she decided to stop. After thinking for a moment, Cat concluded that she needed to know how far apart they were before she woke Jade. She knew she promised she'd wake Jade right away, but he also knew Jade would freak out, so knowing how far apart the contractions were was a better idea. Cat reached across and grabbed her phone off of the bedside table, clicking on the pre-downloaded contraction-tracker app, inputting the time of the contraction that was slowly easing. And with that, she put the phone back down and waited for the next one.

Another 20 minutes passed and she was once again greeted with discomfort, drawing her from her slumber. She grabbed her phone and put the new time in, counting the seconds of the contraction duration. "20 minutes?" She whispered to herself, realising that she'd probably just slept through a few hours of the longer contractions and was quite far into labour by now. Right, now she needed to wake Jade. "Jadey"? She whispered, shaking the sleeping girl beside her. "Jadey?"

"Yeah?" Jade yawned, slowly waking up. "Did I oversleep or something?"

"No," Cat replied curtly. "I'm in labour."

"Oka- wait what?!" Jade said, bolting upright. "Seriously?"

"Seriously." Cat smiled weakly. "Ellie's on her way."

"Right, okay. Um." Jade stuttered, jumping out of the bed. "I'll get your hospital bed and let's go to the car."

"My contractions are still 20 minutes apart," Cat told her. "We don't need to leave yet."

"But we need to get there early," Jade told her.

"It's not an airport. We only need to go when they're 5 minutes apart, and have been for about an hour," Cat shook her head.

"Oh right okay," Jade replied, gathering her composure. "What should we do?"

"I'm going to do my makeup," Cat told her, slowly climbing out of bed, and laughing at Jade's confused face. "I want to look good in the photos you're inevitably going to take." She giggled. "And besides we have time." She reassured. "You can call people if you want, tell them the news."

"I'll do that." Jade nodded. "When should we start getting ready to leave?"

"When they start being 5 minutes apart," Cat told her.

* * *

By 6am, nothing had really changed. Jade had called her Dad, who was now eagerly sat in Europe, waiting for more news, and had also called their friends, telling them to get ready to meet them in the hospital in a few hours. With Cat's contractions still 10 minutes apart, the two girls opted to relax while they could, and prepare for what would surely be a very hectic day.

"Are you excited?" Cat asked, nuzzled up to Jade on the couch, half-watching the TV.

"A little nervous," Jade admitted, "but yeah, I'm really excited. We're gonna be Moms in a few hours."

"I'm nervous too." Cat replied. "Do you think it will hurt."

"In all honesty, yeah I think it will," Jade told her. "But you're super strong and you'll be fine."

"I hope so." Cat replied, suddenly tensing up."Contraction!" She announced.

"I got it!" Jade said, grabbing the timer and pressing start. She then took Cat's smaller hands n her own, moving her thumb around the back of Cat's palm comfortingly.

"Oh God, this is a strong one." She huffed, tightening her grip on Jade's hand. "Ah!" She gasped.

"You're doing so well." Jade encouraged, not even flinching at Cat's vice-grip on her hand. "So, so well."

"T...thanks." Cat gasped again. "Oh, God." She added, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself. "Okay I- Woah!" She squeaked. "Jade!"

"Yeah?" Jade asked, looking at Cat wide-eyed. "Is it over or-"

Ignoring the pain suddenly coursing through her body, Cat jumped up off the couch, where there was now a very wet patch. "My water... my water just broke."

"Oh my God." Jade gasped, jumping up too.

"Ew, it's all over the couch." Cat cringed. "And my leg."

"That's what you're worried about?" Jade raised an eyebrow.

"It feels really weird." Cat shuddered. "I'm going to the bathroom to clean myself up."

"Um, if you're sure you're okay," Jade told her. "Is your contraction over?"

"Yep." Cat nodded. "How long was it?"

"45 seconds. 8 minutes after the last one." Jade told her, looping Cat's arm over her shoulder to steady her as she made her way over to the staircase.

By the time Cat had very slowly made her way up the stairs, and grabbed another pair of leggings to change into, another contraction hit. "Time it!" She called out to Jade.

"Already?" Jade asked in a panic, guiding Cat to sit down on the edge of the bed.

"They... they speed up after... after the water breaks." Cat gasped between the pain. "And... get stronger... ah!" She squealed. "That hurts... so bad."

"I've got you," Jade told her, lightly rubbing her hand over Cat's back, sitting on the bed beside her.

* * *

By 6:45, Cat was consistently having contractions that were 5 minutes apart. It hadn't quite been an hour of them, but Jade was getting way too stressed to stay at home any longer. Cat, on the other hand, was still surprisingly calm, amidst a call to Tori, talking to her about the labour.

"Cat, I swear to God we need to go!" Jade yelled in panic, Cat's hospital bag slung over one shoulder with a baby car seat in the other.

"Jade's really stressing out." Cat relaid down the phone to Tori. "You'd think she's the one in labour." She joked.

_"She only wants the best for you,_" Tori replied. _"You should probably go. I'll call the others and we'll meet you at the hospital in like half an hour okay?"_

"Kay kay." Cat nodded. "Jade does look a little pale from worry."

_"She always looks pale." _Tori joked. _"Cya soon Cat."_

"Cya Tori." Cat giggles, ending the call.

"Finally!" Jade grumbled, walking out the front door and heading towards the car. "You're abnormally calm." She commented.

"I don't want to make things worse." Cat shrugged, waddling her way behind Jade. "Besides, you're stressed enough for both of us."

"Let's just get you into the car," Jade replied, rolling her eyes and opening the car door for Cat.

"Thank -oof." She buckled forward as she spoke. "Another contraction." She added through clenched teeth, resting against the car.

"Here," Jade said, supporting Cat's body and leading her into the passenger seat to sit down. "This will all be over soon."

"I can't wait." Cat replied quickly, forcing out a weak smile through the body-quaking pain.


	63. Chapter 63

"Is it weird seeing me in a hospital bed?" Cat asked, sat upright on the hospital bed in the middle of the room. They'd only been there about half an hour and Cat had already been given a blue gown and situated in a rather nice hospital room filled with various beeping machines that messed her heart-rate, contractions and various other things. There was an IV of painkiller poking into her arm, numbing her pain slightly but overall just making her a little loopy.

"I hate it so much." Jade shuddered.

"This time it's a kinda good thing though." Cat replied.

"I guess so." Jade smiled weakly, walking towards Cat on the bed and lightly stroking her hair. "When we come out of here, we'll have a baby in our arms. Of course, this is a good thing."

"I can't wait. I- contraction." She cringed, leaning back into the bed. Suddenly one of the machines started beeping louder as it peaked. "A..aahh." She gasped out, reaching for Jade's hand and grabbing it in a vice-like grip.

"Is the pain-killer helping at all?" Jade asked.

"A little." Cat replied through clenched teeth, taking deep breaths to cope with the pain. "I'm hungry." She added as the contraction lessened.

"All you can eat is ice." Jade reminded her, grabbing the stylophone cup from behind her and using a spoon to pull out a small chunk of ice.

"It'll do." Cat shrugged, taking the spoon and chewing the cold substance.

"It's not very filling is it?" Jade asked.

"Not at all." Cat replied.

A sudden knock on the hospital door interrupted them, followed by the familiar voice of Tori. "Cat, Jade?" She called out to them.

"Come in!" Cat called back, pulling herself more upright again.

"The boys are here too," Tori called back.

"They can come if they want to." Cat replied.

After pushing, the door open, Tori, Andre, Robbie and Beck all walked into the room. Each of them looked very tired due to it being early morning, but also equally excited for the baby to arrive. "How are you feeling Lil' Red?" Andre asked, walking over to the side of the bed.

"Very tired," Cat admitted. "But apart from that, I'm good."

"How did you have time to put on makeup?" Tori asked, looking at Cat.

"She did a lot of things I'd rather she didn't," Jade replied.

"I'm fine as long as I'm not having a contraction." Cat reasoned with them.

"I'm just glad you're doing okay Cat," Robbie spoke up.

"Thank you all for coming." Cat smiled at them.

"We wouldn't miss being here for you," Andre told her.

"I have such good friends," Cat replied, her smile broadening. "You've all been so great to me."

"That's what we're here for," Beck told her.

"I would hug you all-" Cat began. "But I can't get up."

"It's alright Lil' Red," Andre told her. "We'll take the hug later."

"Hehe." Cat giggled.

"What's this measuring?" Robbie asked, walking over to one of the machines. It had a monitor displaying a timelined grey grid and a moving green line through it, similar to a heart rate monitor, but its increments were much too far apart for that.

"Her contractions," Jade told him.

"They're like 4 minutes apart." Robbie pointed out, looking at the timeline beneath the peaks.

"We do know," Jade replied. "She's been getting them for a while now."

"So when does she need to push?"

"When I'm 10cm dilated," Cat told him.

"Dilated? Dilate what?"

"My... um, ya know," Cat said, motioning downwards.

"Oh," Robbie said, wide-eyes and visibly blushing.

"How did you not know what she meant?" Beck raised an eyebrow.

"'Cause Robbie's such a virgin he knows nothing about a vagina." Jade quipped, making Robbie blush an even deeper red.

"Can we not discuss this now?" Cat spoke up.

"Fine," Jade replied. "I'm right though."

"Ah!" Cat gasped again suddenly. "Contraction." She announced.

"Does it hurt?" Tori asked.

"Obviously!" Jade pointed out, rushing to Cat's side as the redhead's face closed in a grimace.

"Right, sorry." Tori stuttered.

"Is there anything we can do?" Andre asked.

"No-" Cat gasped out through the pain. "It... It'll pass soon."

* * *

Quite sometime later, a nurse returned to check up on Cat. She was somewhat surprised to see so many teenagers in the room. "3 guys? What is this, Mamma Mia?" She mumbled under her breath. Clearly, it was meant to be an internal comment, as her eyes went wide straight after saying it, but she was seemingly at the end of a long shift and wasn't quite in her right mind.

"More like that episode of 'Friends' where Carol gives birth." Beck joked back, trying to relieve the tension after everyone had heard the comment. "We're all just friends and she's the lesbian-life-partner." He pointed at Jade. After a few seconds of thinking, everyone laughed at Beck's joke and the tension was suddenly relieved.

"Hey!" Jade frowned. "Wait, no that wasn't an insult."

The nurse smiled at them, thankful that they'd not gotten angry at her for her comment, and started checking up over Cat. She administered more painkiller and informed them that Cat was almost ready for delivery and that she would call more staff into the room for her. This was the boy's and Tori's cue to leave to go to the waiting room, wishing Cat luck for a safe delivery.

"Thanks, guys," Cat told them, waving as they left.

"It's all getting really intense now isn't it?" Jade spoke up, sat in a chair that she'd brought right up to Cat's bed.

"Yup." Cat nodded, laying sideways on the bed with an inflated ball between her legs, keeping them apart under the bed covers. "I'm really scared."

"It'll all be okay Cat," Jade promised, running her hand through Cat's red hair. "You've been so strong during this whole pregnancy and I'm so proud of you. You're just amazing."

"I love you so much." Cat replied.

"I love you too," Jade said, leaning down and kissing Cat quickly.

* * *

It wasn't too long before the doctors and midwife arrived and Cat started pushing. With each contraction came a pain that dominated Cat's entire being. In those moments, for those seconds that stretched into infinity, there was nothing else. Her stomach tightened, she heard her own scream without being aware of making it. She lay still as the medication was administered, waiting for the agony to subside. When the pain passed it was only for a minute or so and she breathed with closed eyes, unwilling to re-engage with life outside of her own body. The room might as well have been empty for all the awareness she had. All she knew was that Jade's hand was wrapped around her, and she would periodically tell her comforting words, or repeat the doctor's instructions to her. To reply she had to find herself from the deepest recess of her own mind and drag herself forward, to use her voice, open her eyes. When the midwife was once again telling her that is was time to push, with a guttural grunt she did so and was told to stop, one was enough. She felt the baby crowning, the hot stretching of flesh and held her breath. Without any further effort, the baby slid into the hands of the midwife. There was elation, a girl at last, and in seconds she was there, nascent eyes opening for the first time, being lowered on a towel over Cat's chest. As Cat looked into those new eyes, a new consciousness, perfect and reaching out for her love. In that instant, she knew she would do anything to protect her child, that her love was as vast as the universe yet solid as a rock. She was a mother and would always be. Newborn cries filled the room and Jade burst into tears of relief and joy. She turned her glossy blue eyes to Cat and in a voice that was almost broken, she told her they have a beautiful daughter. Through her exhaustion Cat smiled, and she let her eyes leave Jade's face to take in the baby that was being brought to lie on her towel-covered chest. At that moment Cat began to cry the sweetest tears she'd ever known, all the pain of moments before melted away. The baby was only minutes old and was already beginning to root, mouth wide, her instincts strong.

"Would you like to cut the cord?" Cat heard, looking up to see the doctor holding out a pair of scissors for Jade to take. Slowly, she nodded and took the scissors, cutting the baby's cord as she wailed around on Cat's chest.

After it was cut, they lifted the baby and carried her over to the corner where they would begin a checkup on her. "Y...you did it." Jade choked out, wiping away the reminding joyful tears from her eyes.

"Yeah," Cat replied briefly, smiling up at Jade. "I'm not pregnant anymore." She added.

"I know!" Jade replied. "Look at your stomach!"

Following her girlfriend's words, Cat pushed her sore body upwards slightly to see that her stomach had half-deflated in size, no longer holding a baby inside of it. "Oh my gosh." She gasped. "There's no more baby in there."

"I know," Jade repeated, still in shock. "We're Moms."

"I love you, Jade," Cat spoke up.

"I love you too," Jade replied, leaning forward and kissing Cat.

"Go check on her," Cat told her when the kiss had finished.

Jade nodded and stepped away, walking to the corner of the room where a midwife was cleaning the remaining amniotic fluid from Ellie's body, resting her on a raised bed. "Do you have a name for her yet?" The midwife asked, noting Jade's presence behind her.

"Yes," Jade said, looking in awe at the baby in front of her, peering back at her through brand new eyes at what must be such a strange world after her life in the womb. Her legs kick in a tiny jagged motion, looking for that resistance they are used to, but finding nothing but air. "Elizabeth Hope, Ellie for short."

"That's a really pretty name." The midwife replied, removing the towel from Ellie to grab a blanket to wrap around her. In the brief moments of liberation from the covers of the towel, she stretches her hands, which barely reached above her head, making Jade think of how strange everyone would look if they kept those body proportions as we grew.

As the midwife returned, she loosely wrapped a blanket over Ellie and told Jade that she could pick her up. There was a brief look of hesitation in Jade's eyes, scared that even touching her would break her, before she slowly reached forward and lifted Ellie into her arms. She cradled the newborn over her arms and noticed she was smaller than a bag of sugar from the grocers. Tiny toes peek from her blanket, wiggling slightly. Her head, a crazy mass of brown curls not yet rubbed bald from lying in her crib, wobbled over Jade's supporting hand. Jade couldn't believe how tiny new humans were, how vulnerable, how awe-inspiring. Big blue eyes looked back at her, reminding her somewhat of her own. "She has your curly brown hair," Jade told Cat, slowly walking back over to her girlfriend's bedside. "And a lot of it."

"Wow." Cat gasped, carefully tilting her head to look at Jade, taking in the image that was her girlfriend and their baby girl. "She's so little."

"Another trait she inherited from you then." Jade joked, very carefully lowering Ellie for Cat to properly see.

"Her eyes... they're like yours." Cat observed.

"I noticed that too," Jade replied. "But baby eyes are always blue, maybe they'll darken."

"I hope not," Cat said. "I like that there's a piece of you in her."

"Me too," Jade replied. "Do you want to hold her?"

"Yes please," Cat replied, steadying herself on the bed for Jade to lower her onto it.

"Skin to skin is better for her." A midwife spoke up.

"Oh right, yeah," Cat replied, lowering the neckline of her gown for Ellie to rest on her bare collarbone. As soon as contact is made, any fretting suddenly stops, and Ellie begins to curl up, relaxing into her mother's chest, with Cat's arms under her for support. It was so cute Cat and Jade almost simultaneously cried. This was a new person, and they were already filling up with love for her. "She's so perfect."

"She's half of you, so she was bound to be," Jade replied.

"Everything with the baby seems to be in check." A midwife interrupted. "There's a call button to press in case anything changes. Would you like me to inform the others in the waiting room?"

"Yes please," Cat spoke up. "And thank you for everything, all of you." She addressed everyone in the room as they left, each one giving her a reassuring smile.

"I can't believe we're parents," Jade told her. "It feels like I'm dreaming or something."

"Me too." Cat replied. "It's a pretty good dream though."

"Agreed." Jade smiled, once again leaning over and giving Cat a quick kiss on the forehead.

There was once again a knock on the door, revealing Tori and the boys. They all looked much more awake now, unlike Cat who was very clearly even more exhausted than before. "Oh my God!" Tori squealed, before quickly slapping a hand over her mouth to shut herself up and not wake Ellie. "She's so cute." She added, in a much more hushed tone.

"She really is," Cat replied, looking back down at the tiny human resting in her arms. "I can't believe she's my daughter."

"She's adorable Lil'Red," Andre added. "Wait, is she littler red then?"

"I think Kitten is better," Beck told him.

"Ah yes, Cat's Kitten," Andre replied.

"How about we just call her Ellie, ya know, her name?" Jade reminded them.

"I think Kitten is cute," Cat spoke up, lightly running a hand over Ellie's head.

"Damn, that's almost a full head of hair there," Robbie spoke up, looking at the baby before him.

"I was the same apparently," Cat told him. "It's probably the Italian genes."

"Either way, it's adorable," Jade said, reaching over and also lightly running her finger over Ellie's head.

* * *

About an hour later, the boys left, promising to return with food for Cat and Jade to eat and get over their exhaustion. Therefore, Tori, Cat and Jade were the only ones left in the room. Cat was fast asleep on the bed and Jade was sat in a chair cradling a still-sleeping Ellie in her arms, Tori close by looking on in awe.

In the silence that engulfed the room, Jade suddenly started to sing, still looking intensely down at the new life in her arms. Her voice was still quiet as to not disrupt the peace, but loud enough for Tori to hear it clearly. Song: 'Isn't She Lovely' by Stevie Wonder.

_"Isn't she lovely_

_Isn't she wonderful_

_Isn't she precious_

_Less than one minute old_

_I never thought through love we'd be_

_Making one as lovely as she_

_But isn't she lovely made from love_

_Isn't she pretty_

_Truly the angel's best_

_Boy, I'm so happy_

_We have been heaven blessed_

_I can't believe what God has done_

_Through us he's given life to one_

_But isn't she lovely made from love_

_Isn't she lovely_

_Life and love are the same_

_Light is our Ellie **_

_The meaning of her name_

_Cat, oh, it could have not been done_

_Without you who conceived the one_

_That's so very lovely made from love"_

**(A/N ** Ellie actually means light, so I thought this fitted better)**

Her gentle voice fills the room, so smooth and clear and quiet yet powerful. Soothing, in away. Combined with those words that just told so much, it was the promise of tomorrow. It was beautiful, a flow of happiness and something somewhat carefree about the notes as they fell.

"That was amazing," Tori spoke up, ending the brief silence that had once again stuck after Jade finished singing.

"Thanks," Jade replied curtly, reminding herself that she and Ellie weren't the only people in the room. "She's just so perfect. I've never been a massive fan of babies, but when it's your own... it's just different you know? I mean, I know she isn't really mine... but I feel like she is. I... I want her to be."

"You've been by Cat's side during everything. She is as much yours as she is hers." Tori told her. "You're both Ellie's Mom. And she's so lucky to have you, both of you."

Jade looked up at her with a thankful expression, as if Tori had just settled something in her mind, before looking back down at the baby in her arms. "Hear that? You have a pretty good God-Mother, Ellie." She whispered.

"Just 'pretty good'?" Tori asked a smile already across her face.

"Oh shush," Jade replied, shaking her head, smiling back.


	64. Chapter 64

A few days later

With Ellie born, Jade and Cat no longer had to attend school. However, they did still have final exams to study for on the 2nd week of May. Therefore, they were cramming really hard to try and get their grades up every time Ellie was asleep. Cat, in particular, was really focused on her maths. In classes, she had a 'D' average and she was adamant to boost it to a passing C, which (as the exam was 50% of the grade) meant she needed a B in the exam. She had never gotten a grade this high in maths but she was desperate to do it, and Jade was very willing to help her, resulting in multiple hours of the two girls sitting in the hallway outside Ellie's nursery, trying to get through as many maths equations as possible.

"All you need to do is expand the brackets," Jade said, for what must have been the 4th time, leaning against the hallway wall and pointing at the workbook that Cat was staring at, a dumbfounded expression on her face.

"I... I can't remember how." Cat sighed, burying her head in her hands in exasperation at the new set of equations in front of her.

"It's not too hard," Jade said, lightly placing her hands on Cat's wrists to remove them from her face and look at her properly. "You just need to multiply the outer numbers together, then the inner numbers, then in without." She said quickly.

"I... um," Cat mumbled, a look of pure confusion in her eyes at Jade's words.

"Like this," Jade said, taking a few different coloured pens and drawing various lines over said equation to make things clearer for Cat. "(2x + 3)(x - 1)." She read out. "So 2x times x is 2x²." She drew in one colour. "3 times -1 is -3." She drew in another. "2x times 1 is 2x... and 3 times x." She finished. "Which equals 2x² - 2x + 3x - 3. This simplifies to = 2x² + x - 3."

Suddenly, as if the different colours were painting an image in her mind, the pieces connected for Cat. "I get it!" She announced, quickly taking back the paper and working her way through the second equation. This was a weird feeling for her. Maths actually made sense and she wasn't just guessing the answers like normal.

"Have you never used different colours before?" Jade asked.

"Not unless I'm doodling in my book." Cat shrugged, grabbing the multiple pens and already getting to work.

"Well then." Jade shook her head. She could barely believe that she'd found something that worked for Cat this late into her education, and something that none of her teachers had considered trying. A part of her felt sad for Cat as there was a big chance that her teachers didn't try it as they'd just given up on her. Deep down Cat was a really smart girl, as shown in her perfect grades in the more 'artsy' subjects... it's just that maths wasn't her thing.

"Is that right?" Cat asked, showing Jade the equation she'd just solved.

"Looks like it," Jade replied.

"Yay!" Cat squealed, before quickly covering her mouth to stop the noise, temporarily forgetting that they were sat outside of the nursery, with the door open. "Oops." She added.

"I don't think you woke her," Jade replied, referring to their 3-day old daughter.

"We should check on her anyway, it's been 2 hours since we put her to bed, she'll probably want to eat soon," Cat said, finding her way to her feet. Despite no longer being pregnant, she still wasn't 100% recovered yet and needed a few extra seconds to move around.

Together, the two girls walked into the nursery and over to the white crib, where Ellie was laid on her back sleeping soundly, her arms aloft as if dreaming of cuddling the mother who stands so closely by. Cat reached over and slides her pinky into Ellie's open hand and watches as her fingers curl around it, the baby sleeping on. "I can't get over just how adorable she is," Cat commented, looking down at the newborn.

"She really is," Jade replied, copying Cat as she placed her pinky within Ellie's other hand, receiving the same reflex from their daughter. For most of her life, Jade hadn't been particularly fond of children and babies, but every time she looked at Ellie it always brought her further from her past beliefs. Ellie ade hr realise that a baby is born to seek and be loved, to be protected and nurtured. They invite us to be the best versions of ourselves, to be taught and also the teacher, learning how to truly care for another human, to be their provider. It's as if a baby is like a compass, its needle spinning until it finds real love, their true north matching its carer's. Jade, without a doubt, loved Ellie with every inch of her being, as did Cat. The once cold gothic girl was gone, well at least around Ellie she was. No longer would she roll her eyes at any mild inconvenience, or would sigh at the prospect of having to do anything. Now, she would spend much of her time soothing Ellie with lullabies and stroking her tiny back and soft hair. She would whisper sweet things in her ears and cover her with kisses. She had changed, and there was nothing wrong with that at all.

Anyway, as Cat predicted, Ellie started to wake up, her little eyes fluttering open as she started to shuffle around on the mattress, her hands realising their grip from Cat and Jade's fingers. Her eyes fully opened to greet the day shine, and lungs expanded. Despite her eyes still only allowing blurred images to pass through them, she looked up at her Moms as if she could see them as clear as day, her big blue eyes wide as a small yawn left her tiny mouth. Next, she began to shuffle again, fret slightly as she realised why she had woken up; she was hungry. "It's okay Baby," Cat told her, reaching down and hooking her arms under Ellie's back, slowly lifting her out of the crib and bringing her to rest on her front. "I've got you."

Instantly, Ellie's little fuss subsided, sinking into the warmth of her mother. Despite her only being a few days old, Cat knew exactly what Ellie needed. It wasn't all her doing though, as seemingly, Ellie was one of those golden babies. She nursed every four hours, rarely cried and slept almost all night from right out of the hospital. For first-time parents, especially being so young, Jade and Cat couldn't have asked for a more perfect daughter.

As Cat carried Ellie over to the chair to begin nursing, Jade pulled a baby-grow out of one of the drawers and started to lay out everything on the changing table. She always did this while Cat nursed as Ellie always needed a diaper change straight after, it was just a routine they had developed. That was another reason why they worked so well together for raising Ellie, they were just so intuned with each other and knew exactly when/where they were needed. It was moments like this, where Cat was so thankful for Jade. Without her, not only would Cat not have the extra physical help and the shared routines, but she wouldn't even have a house. Without Jade, she would have had to get a job and work God knows how many hours a day, maybe even dropping out of Hollywood Arts, and would be living in a cheap apartment with not enough money to even afford the diaper bag that Jade was holding. Either way, both girls were content with how things turned out, even though there were some rough patches, things were good now.

Shortly after Ellie was fed, Jade changed into a very adorable pastel pink and white baby-grow, with a matching bow headband sat upon her sprouting brown curls. Despite not being very away of what was happening, Ellie seemed pretty happy with herself, just shimming slightly in her place. Even when Cat lifted her up and carried her downstairs, she seemed content with just laying in her rocker in the living room. At this point in life, she can't do much else then move slightly, see blurred shapes and recognise her Mom's voices and smells. Which is why Cat and Jade spent a lot of their time singing softly to Ellie. It seemed to make her happy, as her eyes would always go wide and try to track their faces, her little hands opening and closing as merry little reflex. Their favourite song was the one that Jade first sang once Ellie was born: 'Isn't She Lovely' by Stevie Wonder. It was both soothing and also fitted the situation that they were in. It was after one of these short song sessions, where the girls were sat on the floor in front of Ellie's rocker, Cat sat between Jade's legs, leaning back into her girlfriend's open arms, the two of them just watching their daughter slowly drift back off to sleep.

"I hate to interrupt this," Jade whispered into Cat's ear after they'd been sat together for about 10 minutes. "But I need to call my Dad."

"But I'm comfy." Cat replied in a childish tone, snuggling further back into Jade's front.

"I am too," Jade said back. "But I need to go and call him before it gets too late in Europe."

"But I'm comfyyy," Cat said stubbornly, in a childish tone, rooting herself in place.

"Oh no, however, will I move you?" Jade mocked, standing up quickly. As a result, Cat just fell over backwards, making it easy for Jade to just scoop her into her arms and lift her off of the ground.

"Eeek!" Cat squeaked as Jade swung her about in her arms, intentionally dropping her on the couch.

"WAHHHH!" Suddenly erupted from the rocker as Cat's scream woke Ellie. Eyes already brimmed with tears and grasping at the air with increased speed, her shrill cries only broken by her gasping for breaths in-between. Her face was blotched and her little mouth stretched wide.

"Oh crap," Jade mumbled, quickly rushing to Ellie's rocker and carefully lifting her into her arms, as Cat scrambled off of the couch too. "Its okay Ellie. Sorry for waking you." Jade whispered, slowly lifting Ellie into her arms and holding her close, bobbing and swaying to unheard music, humming a lullaby, quite composed, quite serene. It wasn't long before the harsh cries softened to snuffles, and Ellie was once again asleep. Looking up from the baby in her arms, Jade saw the look of worry on Cat's face, as she stood a few metres away, a hand covering her mouth. "You okay?" She asked the redhead.

"Uhuh." Cat nodded, her words very muffled by her hand. "I just feel bad."

"She's asleep again." Jade disregarded, placing Ellie back in her rocker before walking over to Cat. "No harm was done... besides, I'm the one who threw you which made you scream."

"I guess," Cat mumbled, slowly removing her hand from her mouth, not really content with Jade's reply. She hated when Ellie cried, it was like a dagger through her heart, and she hated it even more when she was the reason for the tears. With her hormones still of-balanced from the pregnancy, she wasn't really in the right state of mind still, and no matter how hard she was trying, she couldn't help but be submissive to them at times.

"I'm sorry." Jade reasoned, extending her arms for a hug, knowing that if she took all the blame then Cat would feel better about it.

"Me too." Cat smiled weakly, walking into Jade's open arms and returning the hug with a slight squeeze.

Unfortunately, this hug was short-lived as Jade's phone started to ring from the back pocket of her jeans. After reaching around for the phone and reading the screen, she confirmed that it was her Dad calling her, so she pulled away from the hug and answered it, saying 'Hey Dad' as she pressed the phone to her ear. Since Cat moved into the house after being kicked out by her parents, Jade finally realised how important her Dad was to her, and she'd made much more of an effort to keep in contact with him. The feeling had been mutual from her father, who was happy to be talking to her again, especially as Ellie's birth approached and passed. He was over-the-moon about Ellie, not only because she was his first grandchild, but also because she was named after his late wife, Jade's mom. For the first time in years, Jade was honestly looking forward to her Dad visiting her in LA for a week, to help look after Ellie while she and Cat went back into school for exams. Things seemed to be looking up for Jade in all aspects of her life: she had a wonderful girlfriend, an adorable baby girl and a good relationship with her dad again. She was happier than she had been in a very long time. Life was good.


	65. Chapter 65

So. I wasn't meant to end this story here, and I still don't want to. However. I must.

I've been writing this story for roughly a year now (as it is the end of my summer holidays and I'm pretty sure that was when I started writing this last year), and this has been one of the most demanding years of my life. If anyone is wondering why, it's because I was in Year 11 of school, which is the year in the UK where you take your main exams. At the beginning of that school year, I was getting pretty average grades and worked my ass off to try and boost them, so I did, and therefore I had very little free time, and any I did was dedicated to writing this.

Now, I'm about to go into Year 12 where I will be starting much harder classes and I've now also got a job on top of the school work. Of course, I will still write on this website but I'm thinking of starting a new story instead so that I can get this one up and posted without any more delay.

Thank you all so much for reading this story, and you please check out my others! Have a nice day :)

* * *

If anyone's interested; I've written a quick summary of what I planned to happen next if I were to ever continue this story:

\- Jade's Dad comes over to LA while the girls do their exams to help look after Ellie, which is when he tells Jade that he and his fiance broke up because she criticised the baby. After he leaves he calls Jade, telling her the trip reminded him how much he prefers LA, and his business was now well expanded in Europe and could be overseen from afar. He buys a house in Beverly Hills and eventually starts to date an old friend, who was really nice. He keeps in close contact and becomes a big part of Jade, Cat and Ellie's lives.

\- As Cat's Youtube following expands more and more, her and Jade convert the basement into a recording studio where Cat can better produce her own music. After about a year of doing this, she gets signed to a record label. She does a few small tours around America for her first album, and when she drops her 2nd one, she goes World Wide. Jade and Ellie tag along and Jade writes her plays/movie scripts while on the road, as they are all living in a pretty nice tour bus.

\- Jade proposes on the last night of Cat's first tour and they get married soon after.

\- When Ellie is old enough, she goes to Hollywood Arts to pursue fashion design. She's a good singer like her parents but has the overall dream to make her own fashion line. She's the spitting image of Cat, apart from her icy blue eyes, which somehow look identical to Jade's, and a head of wavy light brown hair. They never did work out who Ellie's father is, but they didn't care.

\- The End.


End file.
